Unexpected Meetings
by Demonic Angel Fairy
Summary: Liam is in a gang and Mattie is a runaway from home... How will Mattie's presense affect Liam and the gang he is in?
1. The Meeting

**This story is based on a role play my friend and I had going on. I thought it would make a cute story, so I figured why not post it as a fanfic? :'D There is Yaoi obviously, but no lemons. Sorry~ ;D**

Okay, here is information on the characters _thus_ far. I control Liam, my friend controls Mattie. :'D

**Name**: Liam King

**Age**: Twenty

**Nickname**: Doesn't really have one, but some people call him by his last name.

**Likes**: Cars, pizza, guns and he loves horror movies

**Dislikes**: Red lights, cops and bananas

**History**: Liam grew up in a lower middleclass family. While growing up he lived an unpleasant life by his father through beatings, verbal abuse and mental abuse. His mother had died when he was born which was the main reason why his father took his anger out on him. At the age of fifteen he had started to get into trouble by joining a gang and ever since he has gotten involved with the gang, he has never once returned home. Now he lives a dangerous life in the streets, but even now he rather live that kind of life then go back to his house.

**Name**: Matthieu Williams

**Nicknames**: Mattie

**Age**: Seventeen

**Ethnicity**: French

**Likes**: Snow, Polar Bears, Crowds, Books, Drawing.

**Dislikes**: Violence, Cold, Silence, Being Alone.

**History**: At the beginning of his life, Mattie grew up in a very... normal and happy house hold. He was the only child of a pair of **(rather rich)** doctors. Both successful and very happy. When he turned ten, his mother and him were on his way home from his violin lessons when they were caught in the middle of a very bad snow storm. The wind pushed the car off the road and into a large tree. His mother was killed on site and Mattie barely made it. After the death of his wife, Mattie's father turned to alcohol for relief. He lost his practice, their home, and everything that had made their life decent. Days after Mattie came home from the hospital was when the abuse started. First, it was only mental. Yelling, insults, and being blamed for the death of his beautiful mother. After his twelfth birthday the beatings began. Little at first, then they progressed the more his father drank. School was only worse. Because he was so frightened of his father, he grew scared of everyone else so he avoided people and avoided making friends. And that put him further as an access and a victim of bullying. The male, eventually, grew used to it and turned to art to block the world out. Art is, in a sense, what keeps him alive.

**Secrets**: Matheiu wears a locket around his neck with his mothers picture in it of her when she was a college student. He always has his stuffed Polar Bear, Kumajiro, with him wherever he goes. At school, the Polar Bear is always in his backpack. There are over one hundred scars all over Mattie's body, ranging from old and barely visible to fresh and obvious. The most scars are on his back.

**~(The story begins here)~**

Matthieu gasped and stopped running long enough to lean against the wall of a small shop, holding a rampsrailing desperately for support so he wouldn't fall over. How long had he been running? Where was he? The male lifted his eyes and looked around, his glasses were starting to fog up and the air was visible in front of him as he breathed in gasps. It was no longer snowing... but it was still so cold. He had left that damn place barely prepared for the winter. The male was short... around five foot four, which was short for a French seventeen year old, and rather pale. He had short blond hair just above his slender shoulder with a small curled piece coming from the side and brilliant purple eyes. They were strange for a normal person... but he didn't mind. He had his mothers eyes, and that was what made him happy. Matthieu was currently wearing a pair of long - _to long _- blue jeans and a long sleeved red sweater. NOT a winter jacket... he was freezing! No scarf, no hat, and no gloves! Not to mention Converse were not the best shoes for the snow... his feet had to be close to having frostbite by now. He had been in such a hurry to escape that place, that stupid trailer in the middle of the city... that he had shoves some clothes, his sketchbook, and Kumajiro into his backpack and ran. He didn't know where he was going or why he was running... he just wanted to get away. His father wouldn't come after him and would only notice he was gone after the food stopped appearing in front of him and the beer was no longer stocked up in the fridge. There would be no one to yell at. No one to hit. No one to blame but himself. Matthieu was safe... well... safer.

Now he was lost. Lost, cold, and terrified. " What are we going to do, Kumajiro? " he whispered out loud. He knew the bear couldn't talk back to him and was currently shoved uncomfortably in the bottom of his bag... but talking out loud to someone who he knew would listen always made him feel better. Kumajiro always listened and never judged. That was what he loved about his Polar Bear. The male shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as if trying to send away the shivers. It didn't work... He sighed and turned his head down to stare at his soaked shoes. He had to think of something or he would freeze. He wouldn't be able to make it through the night in his clothes... in what he brought with him. His thoughts, however, were interrupted with a voice.

**"You idiot! I told you it wasn't a girl! "**

Matthieu snapped his head up and stared seeing three others boys. They looked his age... but all a lot bigger... and all seemed to be very irritated. " E-excuse me? " he stuttered. The males ignored him and continued with their conversation as if he hadn't spoke. As if he wasn't there.

**"The kid looked like a girl from back there, what the hell do you want from me?"**

**"Well, it'd be nice if you knew the different from a guy and a girl."**

**"Oh shut the fuck up. He looks like a SHE. Look at the face!"**

**"Hm..."**

Oh, how he wished he could disappear. Maybe if he tried hard enough he could disappear into the wall. Matthieu slunk back away from them, hoping for just that, but let out a cry as the biggest male grabbed his arm and yanked him forward. " P-please! Let me go! " he cried trying to squirm his way free from the boys grip. That, of course, proved to be worthless. They were bigger, stronger, and obviously not as cold as he was. The male felt his eyes started to burn, tears beginning to fall, as the boys made a few snide remarks about helping him warm up.

_" Is this how I will die? "_

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had just pulled to the curb in the neighborhood he currently lived in. The man was sitting in his red mustang that he had gotten over the years by the money he earned on the missions he did. The boy was about five foot six with red hair that went a little past his ears. The tips of his hair were dyed orange since…that was his favorite color. His right ear had a few piercings on them and he wore a chained necklace. The boy was wearing a red tank top under a purposely ripped white vest over it with a few safety pins hooked into the rips. Around his neck was a red scarf since it was cold and just had got done snowing. As for his pants he wore plain black jeans with matching colored boots. Moving his hand to grab the smoothie he just bought, he placed the straw to his lips and started to sip out of it. His red eyes had widened at the taste of banana on his tongue. "FUCKING A! You got to be kidding me! I said I wanted strawberry!" The male moved his free hand to roll down the window as he chucked the smoothie out of the window. "What a waste of five fricking dollars." Kicking his feet up onto the dashboard, he allowed his eyes to glance to the side when his phone started to ring. While rolling up the window the male had then grabbed his cell phone with the other hand.

Flipping the cell phone opened, he had started to speak. " Yeah? …Are you kidding me! You guys said I had off to-What do you mean it is his orders? Ugh, fine whatever I'll be there in an hour. Bye." Hanging up the phone, he threw it in the back of his car. It was his day off and they wanted him to go to the base. He could so use a cigarette right now, but he had quit smoking a week ago which made him even more irritable. Fuck. Why did he even quit in the first place! Cursing under his breath, he let his head press against the seat. " First they give me a banana smoothie and now this! Fuck my life." Moving his legs off of the dashboard the male noticed a group of people out of the corner of his eyes. Glancing through the passenger window his eyes had narrowed at the sight of three boys messing with some girl. " Might as well kick some ass before I have to go back to the ass. " Grabbing his gun from under his seat, he opened his door and stepped outside. Walking behind the three males, he had kicked one of them in the back of their knee. " Hey dumbfucks!" Liam shouted with a grin plastered on his face.

When one of the males had fallen onto the ground it caused the other two to look up at him glaring. However when they noticed the gun in his hands the leader released the girl and started to step back. " That's right step back like the coward pussy you are. Move along fat asses or I'll pop a cap in your ass." Once they all fled from the area, he had put his gun into his back pocket. It wasn't even loaded anyways, hehe. Looking at the girl, he had knelt down to help her up. "You shouldn't be around this part of the city. A lot of scumbags like them roam this area, so why do-wait a minute you are a boy. Holy hell." The male said as he raised a brow at the other. Eh male or female who cared. Once the other was on his feet, he moved a hand into his hair. Damn it was cold outside. " What is someone like you doing around these parts anyways?"

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu let out a cry and tried to pull from the boys harder... when suddenly there was a voice? It was loud, demanding. A second later one of the smaller ones, not the leader, had toppled to the ground, releasing his hold on the arm and sending Mattie tumbling back into the wall. He let out a grunt and let himself slide down the wall slowly, one eye closing in pain from the fresh scars that had been made... well, a few nights before. They would scar and he knew it. He looked up at his savior, and gasped - again trying to shrink into the wall to disappear - seeing the boy had a gun. Was THIS how he was going to die? First he was going to be violated, which he had avoided thank goodness, now shot? God, he hoped not. He would rather go through the pain of freezing. At least death would seem warm then. Warm and peaceful. Being shot was NOT peaceful! He cowered back and watched as the three boys walked off and the male in front of him pocketed the gun. So... he wasn't going to be shot? Thank God...

He tried to back away again as the red-orange haired boy came forward and knelt down. Guh. He had only been saved because he looked like a girl... how typical! Would the boy have saved him if he looked more like a boy? If his face wasn't so much like a girls? Probably not. The world was rotten and so were the people. But... at least he had been helped by someone. Saved... by someone. "Y-yeah." he stuttered, his eyes staying down as the other helped him up and expressed his amazement that he was, in fact, a boy. Matthieu didn't bother to brush the snow off of him - even though he was freezing cold and was dying to - and merely backed into the wall as much as he could, his eyes staying down at his feet in hopes he would disappear. It was so easy to disappear at school and around his father... why was it so hard now? That why he loved crowds... it was so easy to get lost in one and not realize that everyone else was doing the same.

Then... the question. He hadn't thought about what to tell someone when he was asked that! Damn it! He should have planned for this instead of just running. He didn't have a story to tell to explain! "I... uh... I um..." he stuttered, trying to find words. He could lie and just tell him he was lost. After all, that wasn't really a lie. He WAS lost. He had no idea where he was! Maybe he could just say he was an orphan. His father was pretty much dead on the inside and out, so that wasn't really a lie. But how could he explain being out in the snow? Or he could just move and tell the truth. That might lead to questions and bugging and the last thing he wanted was to be taken back to that hell hole. Anything but that... anything. The male felt his tears start to fall harder, but sniffled and quickly moved one arm up and shoved the brim of his nose into his arm as his glasses moved up so his eyes were rubbing on the red fabric. He tried to force his sobbing away, but failed miserably, only crying harder as he started to explain. "P-please! Please, mister! Don't make m-me go back there. I can't. I won't! I'm so scared of him. He-he'll kill me if he-" Mattie was interrupted in his rant with a harsh shiver and another loud sob. His body and feet were going numb. His fingers were far past the points of feeling... but he didn't care. There was a chance he would be forced to go back! No no no! He couldn't do back! But... he couldn't run either and this guy had a gun! He was so afraid but in any case... he would go face to face with a gun before he went back to his father.

_(Liam's POV)_

When the smaller boy muttered out a response, he had sighed lightly. Well at least those disgusting boys were gone. If he hadn't noticed this who knew what would happen to the poor kid. The boy already looked like he had been through hell and back already. Liam had pulled out of his thoughts when the blonde haired male started to stutter. "Eh? If you got something to say then spit it out." Liam said half irritably, but had let his eyes widen quickly as the boy started to cry …HARD and ranted. _Ah fuck he is a crier_. The boy thought to himself with a sigh. " Look kid I ain't gonna take you back…to wherever the hell you came from." Liam replied, but had given the other a questioning look when the boy ranted out something about some guy would kill him. Hm maybe he was a runaway? It would explain why someone like him was wandering around here. If he knew what this part of the city was all about he would had avoided it.

" Alright calm down and stop the waterworks. Okay?" Liam told the boy before removing the scarf from his neck. Stepping closer to the boy, he had wrapped it around the other's neck. The kid looked like he was cold as anything and even though he was cold as well the boy looked like he needed the scarf more than he did. " Ya know what? Why don't you come with me? I live in this area and you can stay at my apartment until further notice. You look like you could use a hot bath anyways." Tugging onto the boy's sleeve he had led the other towards his mustang without waiting for a reply from the other. " Get in on the passenger side." With that said, he walked to the drivers side and opened the door. Crawling inside, he took the gun out from the back pocket and placed it back under his seat. Leaning over, he had unlocked the car door for the boy. "Get in." Liam demanded as he stretched a bit. Well…maybe using this kid would get him out of going to the base. Hehe. Reaching his hand to the back seat, he had grabbed his cell phone.

Flipping the phone open, he dialed the number to one of his friends in the gang. "Hey. I can't make it-I don't care! I have to take care of something! My hands are full. It is my fucking day off anyways-I don't care! My car isn't running, so I have to get it fixed! No shit, so let him know ok? Alright bye." Well that was easy enough hehe. Putting his cell phone in his pocket, he had glanced at the boy. "So, what is your name anyways kid?" The boy asked as he turned on the car and started to take off quickly. "My name is Liam. The male said as he sped down the road as he made a sharp turn towards where his apartment is. Once it came into view, he pulled next to the curve. "Oh yeah I forgot to mention I'm a fast driver, so…next time remember that." Heh the boy looked petrified, hehe. Turning the car off, he stepped out of it and shut the door. He waited for the other to get out of the car before he headed towards the stairs. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he walked to his door and unlocked it. Stepping inside, he held the door open for the boy before tossing his keys and cell phone on the coffee table. "Sorry it is kind of messy." The male said as he glanced around his apartment. There were guns and car magazines everywhere. "If you want I can get you some spare clothes while you take a bath or something."

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu felt his throat tighten painfully as the male snapped at him and spoke. He couldn't help his tears! Gah! That boy was so scary! The male froze and lowered his arm as the other said that... he wasn't going to take him back? He didn't even know where 'back' was, but he felt himself relax just a bit hearing it right from him. He sniffled and let out a choked sound as the other told him to stop the... water works? That must mean the crying. He nodded slowly and wiped his eyes again before adjusting his glasses on his face, trying his best to push back the tears. Pain had never made him cry... but fear did. He didn't cry when he was bullied and kicked and he didn't cry when his father was hitting or throwing things or yelling at him. The thought of going back.. scared him. Scared him to tears. Fear was not something he could stop.

The male stared as the other removed his scarf and wrapped his around his neck. Thankfully his face was already red so the warming of a blush went unnoticed. The scarf smelt strangely of... strawberries? How could some wacko with a gun... and red eyes - he had just noticed - smell so good? Ah, Mattie loved strawberries... almost as much as he loved pancakes. The boy pulled from his thoughts and stared as the boy spoke... then began to tug at his sleeve without giving him a chance to reply. He had JUST met this fellow and he was being offered.. a place to stay? Mattie opened his mouth to reject the offer when... the boy mentioned a bath. Oh.. a hot bath. How nice and lovely that sounded. Water... so warm... on his freezing body. He pulled from his thoughts just in time to be dragged to a car. A car? Gaah! It was such a nice car! Was this kid in a gang? Did he sell drugs? Waaaah! So scary! He stood there dumbly and watched as the man got into the car and took the gun from his pocket - Mattie was half tempted to run seeing it - then unlocked the car and ordered him to get in. It wasn't exactly a tone to be argued with so, without thinking about what he was doing, got into the car and closed the door.

Even though the car had just started... Matthieu could feel his body warming. His numb feet weren't feeling better, but slowly his hands began to regain some kind of feeling. The boy squirmed in the seat and pulled his backpack off - he had completely forgotten he had even been wearing it - and set it down by his feet as the boy started to speak again. Oh... it wasn't to him. He was yelling at someone on a cell phone. The male winced lightly and turned his head back down to the bag by his feet and said nothing. He didn't mean to be a bother... if he had known the boy had something to do he would have left. "I didn't mean to be an inconvenience." he said, his voice barely audible and unheard since the male went on speaking. Before he got the chance to reply to the male about his name, the car pulled away from the curb with ridiculously frightening speed! The male barely stopped himself from squealing and barely closed his eyes tightly, hoping it was a quick drive. Sure enough... it seemed to take seconds. That was so unsafe! "I-I g-got that." he stuttered and opened his eyes as the other warned him about the driving. Why couldn't he have said that BEFORE he began driving? Matthieu shivered roughly and looked down once more before answering Liam. "M-my name is Matthieu... Matthieu Williams."

Getting out of the car was a lot harder than getting in. He had been running for so long that his numb legs were enjoying the rest. Matthieu pushed the door open and stood up slowly, being careful not to let his shaking legs trip him. The boy grabbed his bag from the car and closed the door before making his way over to Liam. The male closed his eyes and let the shivers do their toll before heading up the steps and into the boys apartment. Messy... was an understatement. If he wasn't so cold and tired the urge to clean would have taken over. "I-it's okay. I-i-it's your h-home. I sh-" The male stopped talking as a violent shiver took over his body again. he turned his head to Liam as the other spoke again. "Y-yes please! If you... uh..." he stopped and looked down, blushing. Again, he was thankful he was red from the cold so it went unnoticed. "Something long sleeved would be nice."

Partially, that was because he was cold. The other reason was because of his scars. Many on his arm looked self inflicted. None, NONE, were. Years of defending himself with his arms had not gone well for them. His arms were his second most scarred body parts. There were two reasons why he wanted a long sleeved top. One was so that Liam didn't think he had invited a suicidal lunatic into his home and two... well, he wasn't so comfortable with showing... any thing. He wasn't conservative, well he was, but he was mostly self conscious. Scars were imperfect. He knew he wasn't perfect but... it was just far to much for him to handle. He didn't want anyone to ever see them. _Ever. _

_(End/Matti's POV)_

**_[Well! I hope you guys like it! REVIEWS PLEASE AND THANKS! '3 :'D]_**


	2. Kumajiro And Pancakes!

Well, I decided I will probably be posting a chapter once a week. ;D Anyways, continuing where I left off. 

_He knew he wasn't perfect but... it was just far to much for him to handle. He didn't want anyone to ever see them. Ever_.

(Liam's POV)

Liam stared at the boy when he started to stutter, but had then stopped to say that something with long sleeves would be nice. "Something with long sleeves, eh? Alright I think I have something for you. However it will be big on you since you are somewhat shorter than I am. Why don't you wait here on the couch while I set up everything?" The male told the other as he had then motioned for the boy to sit down. "Also Matt-actually I'll call you Mattie for short it suits you. Anyways as I was saying…don't touch the guns. Some are loaded." With that said he walked down the hallway and into his bedroom. Walking to his small closet he looked through it to find some clothes. He found a pair of black pajama pants with a matching short sleeved shirt. Shit…the only long sleeved clothing he owned was his favorite hoodie that had a skull on it. Grabbing it anyways, he walked to his dresser he had searched for some socks. Finding a black pair, he walked out of the room.

Walking inside of the bathroom, he had set the clothing on top of the sink. Strolling over to the tub, he had pulled the shower curtain aside and turned on the water. He turned it to hot, but not to the point where it would burn the shit out of you. Straightening, he made a face. Mattie seemed like a bubble person, so he bent over and grabbed some shower gel and poured some into the tub. Setting the bottle back down, he waited for the tub to fill up. After the water and bubbled reached high enough, he turned off the faucet. Turning on his heel, he headed out of the bathroom and into the living area. " I don't own any long sleeved shirts, but I got you a hoodie. Also I made you your bath. I added some stuff to make bubbles appear if that is okay with you? You kind of strike me as someone who likes bubbles."

Liam snickered at the male before heading to the couch and plopping down onto it. " I'll be here watching some TV if you need me." The boy said as he set his legs onto the coffee table.

(Mattie's POV)

"Th-that's okay." he said as the other said that the clothes would be big. Well... he had expected that. Matthieu had his own clothing too... but they were probably all wet from being in the snow. His backpack wasn't the thickest one ever and only Kumajiro was really safe from the cold, wet, snow. When asked to sit the male set his bag down gently next to the couch and sat obediently. He blinked and flushed deeply as the other called him Mattie. Mattie? Oh, how he was glad his face was still red from the snow, though chances are the blush showed a bit. Hopefully it wasn't noticeable. No one - NO ONE - in his life had ever given him a nickname before. He... liked it. Mattie was... nice. It sounded like a term of endearment. That had never... happened. He had never had that. Matthieu pulled from his thoughts and blinked at the boy as he told him not to touch the guns and went off. The male frowned and squirmed away from the guns. He hated them. Guns. Weapons. They scared him so much.

Matthieu took this time to look around the apartment. It was a fairly... decent size. Bigger than what he had lived in with his father but... so messy! Ugh, he had such an urge to just... clean. He was to cold. The male hugged the scarf that Liam had given him to wear and closed his eyes. It was so cold... his feet were freezing. The male squirmed a bit and looked toward where Liam had walked off to. Where had he gone? The boy leaned back against the couch and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He needed a nap... he was so tired. He had just started to drift off when there came a voice. The French boy felt himself jump but turned his attention to Liam as he spoke. "I-it's fine. Thank you." he said and jumped up and darted off where Liam had come from.

It only took Matthieu a few seconds to find the bathroom. It was... fairly large and so nice! Wow... he took... pride? Pride in his bathroom? The thought made him smile, but at the moment he was to cold. The boy sat onto the edge of the bathtub after closing and locking the door and slowly pulled off his shoes and socks. They were soaked! The male undressed and found that his clothing was soaked as well. Sigh... thank goodness that he had met someone nice to help him. The boy shivered again and slowly slipped into the tub gently. Aaah! His body almost right away began to tingle. Warmth! It was so warm! The male shivered one last time and smiled, leaning back. Ah, how nice. The male closed his eyes and smiled. This was great. Matthieu opened his eyes and turned his head. Ah... what were those? The boy sat up slowly and picked up one of the bottles. Strawberry scented body wash? He blinked lightly and shook his head and set it down. That was weird. He was such a.. tough scary guy and he had strawberry scented body wash? And not just one bottle... there were a lot of them! Ah well... who was he to judge? Whatever made the boy happy... and clean.

Matthieu didn't know how long he was in the bathtub, but it was wonderful. He had never relaxed like that before! Usually he was worried about his father breaking in or breaking something or... just ANYTHING. The smallest thing would make him freak out. Why did he feel safe around someone he didn't even know? Ah well. After a bit the male pulled himself from the tub slowly, dried himself, then dressed in the clothing that Liam had given him. They were... indeed big. The pants, thank goodness, had an elastic band and stayed on. The sweater was huge but covered his arms and hands. It was nice though. Warm.. and it smelled good. He frowned at his wet clothes and thought a moment. What was he supposed to do with those? He thought a moment before hanging them on the shower railing. Eh... hopefully that was okay. The boy pushed some of his damp hair from his face before heading out of the room and back into the living room.

"Thank you for allowing me to use your bathroom." he said, his voice soft and barely heard above the television. "I apologize if I took to long." he said without looking up. "I left my clothes hanging up since they were wet. I hope that's okay." He looked up finally, his face slightly red from the warm bath, his hair dripping a bit still. Looking at Liam sitting on the couch... again the body washes came into mind. He didn't look like that kind of person... but he should stay silent about it for now. He didn't want to annoy the male this soon after meeting him. He stood awkwardly in the doorway of the hall for a moment before walking over. Instead of sitting onto the couch next to Liam, the male sat on the floor and pulled his backpack toward him. He was used to sitting on the floor. The couch belonged to his father so when he was in the living room for something, he sat on the floor. It was what he did and what he was.. used to. He didn't want to risk being hit.

Once the bag was in front of him the male unzipped it and frowned. His clothes were mostly dry... but so packed in how was he supposed to pull out Kumajiro and his sketchbook? Days like this...he wanted to draw so bad. The male turned his bag upside down and shoot. Out came clothing... clothing.. some food - HAH! He had remembered to grab something to eat! - then finally his sketch book and Kumajiro. On the bottom for the driest, safest place. The boy pushed his clothes away and grabbed Kumajiro, frowning seeing the ribbon around his neck nearly off. He muttered something in French before picking the bear up gently and setting it into his lap to begin to fix the bow.

(Liam's POV)

"Mhm." The male replied as the smaller boy thanked him before rushing off to take a bath. Looking around the room, he had made a face. "Where the hell is my remote? " The boy cursed as he got up from the couch to look around for the remote. After a couple of minutes in tossing shit aside, he had found the remote under one his favorite car magazines. "About time." The boy scoffed before plopping back onto the couch comfortably. Placing his feet back onto the coffee table, he turned on the television. He surfed through the channels trying to find something to watch. After a while, he decided to watch Jerry Springer. Watching idiots fight was sooo amusing. Hehe. While watching the show he continued to snicker as some girl's weave came off and they had thrown it into the crowd. "Damn she barely has any hair." Liam laughed loudly.

The boy had let his eyes glance to the side when Mattie came out of the bathroom dressed. Haha…his clothes were big on him. He looked like a child hehe. Then again, he could be a child who knows. Snapping out of his thoughts, he rested his arms behind his head calmly. "No problem and its fine. I was too busy watching some bitches fight anyway." The male laughed before blinking when the other said he hung his clothes hanging up. "That's fine kiddo." Liam nodded as he watched the boy sit down on the floor. " If you are hungry I can order us some pizza if you want? I don't know about you but I could eat just about anything right now." Liam said with a small grunt as he felt his stomach start to rumble in hunger. Stupid stomach did not know when to shut the hell up. Sighing, he allowed his red eyes to gaze over at the boy when he started to dump things out of the bag. Seeing a stuffed bear, he raised a brow. " …Why do you have a bear? Did someone put that there…or are you really…a child? Exactly how old are you Mattie?"

Liam asked the boy, but paused when he noticed the boy fixing the stuffed bear's ribbon. Well…it was obviously his that was for sure. Sheesh…so he took in a shy crybaby that loves stuffed animals. _Greaaat. _Getting off the couch, he tossed the remote onto the coffee table before walking over to the boy. Noticing the sketchbook, he had grabbed it. "So you draw, huh?" The boy asked as he flipped through some pages. Wow, he was good. All he could draw was a stick figure with a smiley face. " You can draw pretty damn well. I can't draw shit."

(Mattie's POV)

Well... at least he hadn't made the male wait. He would have felt bad if he had. The male barely heard the other ask about food. As he finished tightening the bow around Kumajiro's neck and was about to speak... the other spoke again. Damn it! He hadn't even thought about how him having Kumajiro with him made him look! Now he seriously looked mental... or like an eleven year old. The clothes, the bear... god, he looked like a pubescent kid. "I'm not a child... I-I'm seventeen. I-it's my bear." he muttered, his face turning a bright shade of red as he started down at Kumajiro's now perfectly tied bow. He wasn't embarrassed of having his polar bear with him. He could never be embarrassed of his little Kumajiro! He was, however, now frightened that the other would ask him to leave. Who wanted someone like him around? Before he could be to frightened and speak... the other had bent down and took his sketchbook! "W-wait!" he cried, his voice barely heard as Liam already began to flip through the pages.

Matthieu looked down back to the bear and fumbled with the bow as the other complimented him. "They're only sketches... not a lot of time went into any of them." he muttered, feeling his fingers shaking lightly. "But thank you." The man kept his eyes focused down on his white polar bear and squirmed lightly. It wasn't like he wasn't used to being teased. He was teased all the time about his art, and once terribly when someone found Kumajiro in his bag. That had been a TERRIBLE day! It had been in junior high in his History class. He made the idiot mistake of leaving his bag open and some kid had grabbed it and started to show it to everyone before he could grab it from him. That had really been when the bullying started... his poor Kumajiro had almost been torn to pieces by those kids!

The male shook his head lightly and pushed the thoughts away. That memory often made him get teary and hug the bear... but if he did that then Liam would probably make fun of him more. He didn't care if the other boy liked him or not... but he did care about it if it meant him being kicked back into the snow. He didn't want to go back outside! Not dressed how he was... not right now. Really, he just wanted to sleep but, at the moment, his stomach was yelling at him. He would have spoke, but Liam interrupted before he could.

(Liam's POV)

The male had made a face as the other said he was not a child and had then told him his age. Oh boy…he was seventeen? The boy looked like he could be twelve! Sheesh! He NEVER even owned a stuffed animal in his life. Maybe when he was a baby, but other than that, he did not own one. Looking down at the boy, he had closed the sketchbook and handed it back to him. "Either way they are good." The boy said with a shrug as he continued to stare at the stuffed animal. "So this bear of yours…does it have a name? I never met a kid your age with a stuffed animal. Is it one of those animals you can't sleep without or something?" Liam asked the male with a laugh before sitting on the floor. Seeing a loaded gun next to him, he had grabbed it and put it on safety lock. Setting it on the coffee table, he glanced at the boy. Heh he should probably put all of them on safety. With this boy around…he could accidentally set one off. That would not be good.

(Mattie's POV)

Matthieu moved uncomfortably and didn't bother looking up as he was handed his sketch book again. He muttered a small 'thank you' for a second time and set the sketchbook down onto his pile of clothes that he had brought in his bag. They were all, sadly, damp from the snow, but he didn't care. He hadn't even got a chance to think about the clothes when Liam was speaking again. He male fumbled with the bow continuously and stared down at his bear, his face still red. "H-his name is Kumajiro... I don't go anywhere without him." he said softly, his voice shaking lightly as he continued, his voice dropping another octave before he spoke once more. "He's the only friend i've ever had." The boy stopped playing with the bow and felt his shoulders drop sadly, his eyes growing gloomy. He had never told anyone that before... why had it just slipped to this kid he had just met? He didn't know anything about Liam other than... he had a car, liked to drive fast and had way to many guns. The male winced lightly as he heard the other pick up a gun and set it on the table. He hated weapons... they led to violence. The last thing he wanted was to touch one of those things... he would never touch one. Even if he was asked to. Even if his life depended on it.

The male was pulled from his thoughts as his stomach growled. Pushing away all of his sadness and negative thoughts, the male looked up, his purple eyes wide and bright. "Would you like me to make you some pancakes?" he asked his voice suddenly bright and understanding the question was rather random. Honestly... he just wanted to switch the subject away from Kumajiro. The male wasn't yelling at him to get out yes and would probably tease him later, but he didn't care. "I-I know it's kind of late... but you wouldn't have to order anything... and I don't exactly have any money to help with a pizza bill..." The male frowned lightly and pushed some hair from his face. He hadn't been able to speak again and jumped from surprise seeing that Liam was more than okay with having him make pancakes. So when told, the boy stood and followed him into the kitchen.

"I-I do need a few things." he said, pushing up his glasses and setting Kumajiro down onto an empty chair. "Flour, Milk, Sugar, Eggs, butter, baking powder, and salt." he said and looked down at his feet. He wasn't even sure if Liam HAD those things. He should though... since they were basic. Eggs for the morning, milk, sugar... flour. Really, he was just tempted to look around and find everything himself but he wasn't sure if that was going to be crossing a boundary. Some people didn't like their things touched and until he was given permission to go around and find things for himself, the male stood there silently next to the chair where Kumajiro was sitting.

(Liam's POV)

" Kumajiro? You actually named him? I was only kidding…about the name…" Sheesh he was not expecting a name at all. How long did this kid have this thing anyways? When the boy said he did not go anywhere without the bear, he had felt a sweat drop form onto his forehead. Liam was about to speak, but the boy had beaten him to it. His once taunting red eyes had softened a little when the boy told him that the bear was his only friend. It…was his only friend? Old memories started to appear back into his head when he was younger. He too didn't have any friends …or anything to confide in really. When he was home, he just kept himself locked in his room. At school people did not speak to him…or even acknowledged him. Liam pushed the horrible memories away and pulled out of his thoughts as he stared at the other. "I'm Sorry…I won't tease you about it anymore." Liam said as he moved a hand to pat the other on the head.

Now that he knew this little bit of information, he would not tease the other about the bear. The kid probably had it rough as well, so making fun of the only thing he had to call a friend would probably upset him. Standing up, he had let his eyes glance down at the boy when he randomly offered to make pancakes. "Pancakes? Hell yeah! I love pancakes. I can never have them since I cannot cook without catching something on fire. I can make toast though." Sadly that was true. He FAILED at cooking, so he relied on fast food or ordering out. Good thing he was always doing something to keep him active. If he were not…he would probably be a fat hobo or something.

"Alright, follow me." Motioning Mattie to follow him into the kitchen, he had glanced at the boy when the other listed the things they would need. Heading over to the cabinet, he grabbed baking powder and salt. Setting them on the counter, he walked over to the fridge to get the eggs and milk. Placing both of them on the counter, he got the two jars of sugar and flour. "There I think I have everything." Liam said as he moved a hand into his hair. "So…how do we make the pancakes?" Liam asked

(Mattie's POV)

Matthieu looked up and watched as Liam moved to grab everything. Oh, good! He did have everything. Usually he put more things into his pancakes, but he could make good ones out of what he had. Maybe next time he would see if Liam had almonds or brown sugar! Or fruit to put on top. Hopefully he had maple syrup... but he doubted that the boy had the stuff that Matthieu like. He was, after all, such a picky eater. Especially when it came to his lovely pancakes! "Well, we'll need a bowl and a pan to fry them in." he said with a shy smile. "And a spoon to mix it with... oh! And a small pan. I have to melt the butter." he said, a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't used to asking people to do things for him... he was even less used to cooking with people around. It made him so uncomfortable! But he would get over it and ignored it for now. This was Liam's house... Matthieu could not expect Liam to leave a stranger alone in his kitchen!

The male waited as the other got a small pan for him, and the bowl and the frying pan, before he moved from his spot. He didn't move with to much confidence, but it was obvious he knew what he was doing. To avoid using another spoon and dirtying a dish, the male picked up the big spoon and pulled some of the butter from the butter dish and put it into the small pan. He then set it onto the oven and turned it on. Then he moved to the bowl. "While the butter is melting, we can do this." he said and grabbed the flower and other things. "Usually you're supposed to use a measuring cup but i've made these so many times I've kind of got it all memorized." He smiled in an apologetic way before opening the flour. "You use one and a half cups of flour." Here he stopped and poured what he knew what the exact amount in the bowl before setting it aside and grabbing the baking power. "Three and a half cups of Baking Powder." he stopped and set that aside and grabbed the salt and sugar. "Then one teaspoon of salt and sugar... I put more sugar than that in though. Just because I like them sweeter than the recipe usually calls for." He gave the same apologetic smile once more before moving back to the oven. He peered into the pan and smiled and went back to the bowl.

He had to admit to himself... this was nice. He kind of liked cooking with someone who wasn't screaming at him. His father had been the one to make him dread cooking with another person in the room. He was always so critical and speaking as if HE knew what was wrong with what he was making, then when Matthieu made his father happening by listening to his advice, it was somehow his own fault when the food came out terrible. The male shook his head and pushed the thoughts from his head as he stood in front of the bowl. "Next is kind of a thing I made up... but you have to make like... a well." He stopped and proceeded to make a small opening in the middle of the flour mixture and smiled. "Like that. Then, when the butter is melted, which it is now, you can pour that into the opening with the butter, one egg, a small amount of milk - oh, a cup and a fourth to be exact - and then mix it." As he spoke the male was adding the exact amount of ingredients into the bowl. When he was done speaking the male picked the spoon up and began to mix everything together. "Uhm, can you please get the plates? And how many pancakes did you want? I forgot to ask..." The male flushed and suddenly took a deep interest in stirring the contents of the bowl.

(Liam's POV)

"Huh? Oh right, okay." Liam had walked over to the cabinet below the sink to grab a bowl a frying pan and a pan for the pancakes. Heh he was surprised he even had shit to make pancakes. Setting the two items onto the counter, he grabbed a big spoon. "There you go." Liam said as he moved out of the way when Mattie came over to get the items. It was funny how he was the older one, but could not cook anything and this boy seemed to know what he was doing. If he could cook…he would have pancakes every day! Well…until he got sick of them of course. Pulling out of his thoughts, he listened carefully to what Mattie was telling him. "How did you learn all of this stuff? It sounds so complicated." Liam said with a small grunt while Mattie got everything ready.

No matter how well Mattie described what to do…it went over his head. Who knew making pancakes could be this complex? He thought all you had to do was add some pancake shit…with water…and pour it on the pan. The male was too busy thinking how complicated this all looked when Mattie had spoken to him. " What now? The plates? I'll get some." Walking over to another cabinet, he had pulled out two plates from it. Making his way over to the table, he had set them onto it. "Also, I want two pancakes please." Haha…he just said please. He NEVER EVER said please. Oh well. Stretching his arms outwards the tall boy walked over to the counter to grab two butter knives and two forks. Turning on his heel, he headed back over to the table to set all of the utensils down.

(Mattie's POV)

The male turned his head and looked with surprise as Liam asked how he learned and.. that what he was doing seemed to be complicated? Pancakes were so easy to make! "Uh... I've just been cooking for myself for a long time." he answered simply, hoping that would end the subject. In reality... the male had learned two ways. His mother had taught him when he was young and... well... it was either learn how to cook or he would die. His father could live, and usually did live on, beer and junk food. He only ever ate normal food when Matthieu cooked... and he did love to cook! The man pulled from his thoughts and set the large pan on the stove and turned it on before stirring the contents of the bowl once more. He poured two large circles into the pan then flushed, realized he was forgetting something. "Can I have a spatula, please?" he said, still slightly flushed. How did he forget something that obvious? How was he supposed to flip the pancake without a spatula? Bah!

Once he was handed one the male then focused on the pancakes again. "Plate, please." he said after a short while without looking up. When the plate was set next to him, the male picked the pan up and set both pancakes down onto it. He then took the spoon once more and spread just a bit of butter on them and handed Liam the plate. "Here you go." he said with a light smile. By the time he had his own made and on the plate, Liam had just sat down to eat. Heh... he was so fast at making pancakes it sometimes even surprised him. Matthieu spread a bit of butter onto his own pancakes before walking over to the table. He moved Kumajiro next to his chair on the ground before sitting down in it silently. Hopefully Liam liked them... he didn't want... well, he for some reason was hoping that Liam liked them. The pancakes were... to plain in his own opinion. But the male said nothing on the matter and merely reached over and put a small amount of syrup on his own pancakes and picked up his fork and knife.

(Liam's POV)

"You have? That is pretty cool. I never learned how to cook and when I try…it comes out bad." Liam said with a small sigh as the other started to pour the pancake mixture onto the pan.

The red haired boy had blinked when the other asked for the spatula. Oh shit he forgot about that. Turning around, he opened a drawer and grabbed it. "Here you go." Offering it to Mattie, he headed back to the table. When the male had then ordered him to hand the male a plate, he grabbed both plates, and handed Mattie one of them. When two pancakes were set onto a plate after a couple of moments, he smirked. They smelled really good!

The boy walked back over to the chair to sit down, but had forgot the syrup. How could he forget the fucking syrup? That was the best part! Walking around the small table, he opened the fridge door and grabbed the bottle of syrup. Sitting in the chair, he poured a lot of the sticky liquid onto the pancakes. Mmm, smelled sooo good. Setting the bottle down, he grabbed his fork. He had taken a big bite out of the pancake once Mattie had sat down with his own pancake. His red eyes widened at the delicious taste of pancakes in his mouth. "HOLY SHIT! This is awesome! This is the best pancake I have ever tasted…ever!" Liam shouted in joy as he grinned widely at the boy.

"Thanks for making this." The male thanked the other as he shoved big pieces of pancakes in his mouth. God he could live off these!

(Mattie's POV)

Mattie was just about to cut into the pancake... then Liam screamed! The male let out a squeak and dropped his knife and his fork with a loud clatter. The male snapped his head up and looked at the other boy as he complimented him. The boy blushed and looked down again, gently picking up his fork and his knife. "Yo-you're welcome. he said. "They're not really as good as I can make them though... next time i'll make them the way I do at home. I just, uh, will need a few things you probably don't have." he muttered softly before cutting a small piece off of one of the pancakes and eating it. Defiantly not his best pancakes. Actually... they weren't that good to him. Not enough sugar. Ah well. His starving belly wasn't as picky as his stubborn skull.

The male had gotten through half of a pancake by the time that Liam was done. Wow... he REALLY liked them. "Would you like more?" he said setting his knife and fork down. When the other said yes the boy stood up and went back to the stove. He was used to getting up and down to get his dad more food and, since it was for someone who had just taken him into his house, was more than willing. He had just poured in two more fairly large circle into the pan when Liam spoke about him making the pancakes and not being finished. "Oh, I don't mind." he said and picked the spatula up. Hopefully these two would fill Liam up, other wise he would have to make more batter for pancakes. Not that it was hard, but he was starting to get tired. "They're quick to make and it's the least I could do for you... don't worry about it." Matthieu fell silent for a moment. "Plate, please."

Once Liam was settled in with his second plate of pancakes, the boy took his seat once more and continued to eat. Half way through his second pancake a long, and gentle yawn managed to escape. He rubbed his eyes and ignored it and finished his pancake. "Would you like me to clean up?" he asked and stood up. The male picked up his place and carried it over to the sink before turning around and looking at Liam. "I don't mind and I should clean since I was the on-" Matthieu stopped and let out another yawn. Oh damn! His tiredness was starting to catch up! It was probably from all of the running he did today... he was terrible in sports and physical activities so it was only natural that he be tired. Along with physically tired, he was mentally tired as well. He'd feel bad if he left the kitchen a mess for Liam to clean up when...he had made the mess.

(Liam's POV)

"They aren't as good as you normally make them? If that is the case then I cannot wait to try how you usually make them! Damn I feel like a fat kid and his love for Twinkies!" Liam said with a laugh as he was already halfway down his last piece of pancake. God it was sooo good! He would so have to brag to his friends about this. Hehe. They would all be pissing in their pants out of jealously. Then again, if he told his buddies…they would want Mattie to make them pancakes. Baaah! Liam had finished his pancake quickly just as Mattie had spoken. "Do I want more? Fuck yeah! " Liam laughed as he set his fork down onto the plate. His eyes had blinked though when Mattie stopped eating and got up to get him some more. " You don't have to make it now! Wait until you are finished eating." The boy said, but Mattie insisted. "Alright if you say so kiddo. " The male said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Liam had gotten out of the chair when Mattie had asked him for his plate. Grabbing the plate, he had strolled over to the blonde haired boy and handed it to him. Liam waited for a moment as the pancakes were then placed upon the plate. Mm! "Thank you." Liam said as he went back to his seat. Pouring more syrup on the pancakes, he had started to eat them up. The man was silent as the two of them were finishing the pancakes. Liam had lifted his head when the boy had offered to clean. "Nahh you don't have to do it. You probably had a long day. Why don't you go sit on the couch or something? I'll finish eating, and clean up, ok?" Liam told the other as he waved at the boy as if telling him to go. He hated cleaning, but these pancakes were worth it. Hehe.

(Mattie's POV)

Matthieu felt his heart pace quicken at the males first comment. Next time? Was that an invitation to stay longer? It sounded like that... but it was best not to jump to conclusions. Liam could say that now then tomorrow easily tell him to get out. He had to do every single thing he could to make Liam's life at home easier so he wouldn't be asked to leave until... well, until he was done with school and had somewhere to go. Gaah! He had to find a way to school tomorrow! And he had to find a job! Oh dear... Life was getting a lot more stressful.. but at the same time so much better. It would be a lot easier if he had a cell phone... but there was no such luck in that department.

The male pulled from his thoughts and looked at Liam as he said he could go and lie down. Ahh! How nice of him. "Thank you." he said softly as he started to rub his eye with one hand, his glasses pushed up ever so slightly. Matthieu bent down and grabbed Kumajiro and left the kitchen with a yawn and went into the living room. He sighed softly and sat down on the couch. The male leaned back and wiggled down into the couch. Ahh.. how comfy. The boy rubbed his eyes again before pulling his legs onto the couch and curling them underneath him comfortably. He let out a yawn and pulled Kumajiro close to his chest and closed his eyes. Seconds later.. he was asleep.

(Liam's POV)

"No problem." Liam said with a smirk as the other thanked him before he started to rub his eyes. Liam stared at the male as he suppressed a snicker. That was cute he had to admit. Liam kept his eyes on the boy as he grabbed the bear and headed out of the kitchen. Finishing his pancakes, he yawned a little. Gah he was so full! Standing up from his chair, he had pushed it in, grabbed his plate, and had set it in the sink. It only took about ten minutes to put everything away and wash the dishes. It was better to wash them now then having to do it when he gets up. He was always so irritable in the mornings! Drying his hands on a hand towel, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. "Alright, I cleaned up e-" The male stopped talking when he noticed Mattie sleeping on the couch soundly. Poor kid must be worn out. Thinking to himself silently, he headed over to the boy and carefully lifted him up in his arms.

Damn! Mattie was light! He could probably toss him up and down and easily catch him if he wanted to. Snickering at the thought, he strolled over to his bedroom. Heading over to the bed, he placed the male onto the bed softly. Pulling the covers back, he had pulled them up and over the boy, so that his head was showing. Moving his hands to the boy's face, he removed Mattie's glasses from his face. Setting them on his nightstand, he had then walked over to his closet and he grabbed a pair of red pajama pants and a short-sleeved white shirt. Removing his clothes, he had tossed them in the hamper before putting on his pajama pants and shirt. Yawning, he walked over to the bed and crawled onto it. Plopping down on the right side of Mattie, he scooted over so the boy could have some room before pulling the blanket over him as well. He did not mind sharing a bed with the boy since there was enough room, and he was _NOT_ sleeping on that couch.

_[Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! XD **Please review! :'D** I'll feed you pancakes I do not have!]_


	3. Little House Wife

_Muwaha! I am back with the next chapter! ;D Hur hur hur! _

_**~(Continuing where the chapter left off!)~**_

_(Mattie's POV)_

After he had fallen asleep... Matthieu had felt himself being moved. He was, however, to deep in his sleep to realize or even remember why... or where he was taken. Ah well. It didn't matter. He knew that he was safe tonight. What did... were his nightmares. Sleeping was both good and bad. He liked being able to escape the real world.. but it was the dream world that was even scarier than the real world sometimes. That what was reality and fiction merged. It was... scary. Every night he went to bed hoping for a dreamless sleep, and every night he was hit with nightmares. Sometimes they were stronger than others, and tonight was no exception. His fear of being followed... of being found... of being hurt. They played over and over in his mind. It was only when the sunshine hit his closed eye lids did his purple eyes open. He was, of course, greeted with a blurry ceiling.

Where was he? That wasn't his ceiling. He was somewhere he wasn't familiar with. The male lay there for a moment in the soft bed and reached for Kumajiro. He found his fluffy friend and hugged the bear against his chest. It was then that the day before him hit. The argument with his father. The vase that had smashed near his head. The running... the three boys who had tried too... He stopped thinking and shuddered in fear with the thought about what would have happened if Liam hadn't found him.

_Liam._

Matthieu sat up slowly and reached for his glasses beside him. Aha! Right on the bedside table almost in the exact place he had set them on his own bedside table at home. The boy looked around the room once his glasses were on his face. Ah! It was big... though decorated kind of dark for his taste, but it almost fit his new red eyed friend. It was then that the boy looked down and barely suppressed a squeal, falling back and off the bed with a small thud. He clamped his hands over his mouth and clenched his eyes shut as the pain from his back shot through his body, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. _"Please don't wake up... please don't wake up!"_ Matthieu didn't move for a few minutes and let out a small sigh as there was no sound or movement from above him. Good. He was still asleep. The boy untangled himself from the blankets slowly and sat up. He grabbed Kumajiro and made his way out of the room silently.

It was only when he was out in the hall way with the door closed behind him did he realize what had happened. He had just woken up... in a bed... next to a boy who he knew almost nothing about! For some reason, the thought made the boy flush deeply. WHY was he blushing! He hadn't done ANYTHING with the boy other than slept in the same bed. There was nothing wrong with that... he had never slept in the same bed with another person before. His mom before she had... The boy shook the thought and blush from his head and looked down at Kumajiro. "I think I should change and then make something to eat. What do you think?" he asked the bear softly. He, of course, got no reply, but smiled and nodded as if he had.

After a little bit of exploring the male found the living room once more. He dug through his clothes and grabbed a clean pair and went back into the bathroom. He put on clean boxers, clean (much to long again) pants, a shirt, and his red and white sweater from the previous day. It was dry and warm now. The boy looked at himself in the mirror and made a face. His hair was a ridiculous mess... and he forgot his brush! Guuh! The male ran his fingers through his hair, which was still very soft from the bath the night before, and sighed. That was the best he was getting it. Ah well. He was going to school... no where important. Matthieu smiled lightly at his reflection and grabbed Kumajiro and headed out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

It didn't take long for Matthieu to find all of the things from yesterday. He had, thankfully, been paying attention when Liam had got everything he needed to make pancakes. The difference this time was he found other things. Brown sugar, walnuts, and even some bacon that had been tucked in the back of the freezer! Perfect! So he could make some bacon and brown sugar and walnut pancakes. So good! The male smiled lightly as he moved about the kitchen, careful of Kumajiro who was placed on the kitchen table facing where Matthieu was working, and hummed ever so slightly as he worked. Once the bacon was done and set aside the boy started to cook the pancakes. Eventually his small humming turned into soft singing.

"C'est la mèr' Michel qui a perdu son chat

Qui crie par la fenêtre qui le lui rendra

C'est le pèr' Lustucru qui lui a répondu :

"Allez, la mèr' Michel vot' chat n'est pas perdu."

Sur l'air du tra la la la

Sur l'air du tra la la la

Sur l'air du tradé-ri-dé-ra tra-la-la !

C'est la mèr' Michel qui lui a demandé :

"Mon chat n'est pas perdu vous l'avez donc trouvé ?"

C'est le pèr' Lustucru qui lui a répondu :

"Donnez un' récompense il vous sera rendu."

Sur l'air du tra la la la

Sur l'air du tra la la la

Sur l'air du trade-ri-dé-ra tra-la-la !

Alors la mèr' Michel lui dit : "C'est décidé,

Si vous rendez mon chat vous aurez un baiser."

Mais le pèr' Lustucru qui n'en a pas voulu

Lui dit : "Contre un lapin votre chat s'ra vendu!"

Sur l'air du tra la la la

Sur l'air du tra la la la

Sur l'air du trade-ri-dé-ra tra-la-la !"

_(Liam's POV)_

Once Liam was resting in bed, he had fallen asleep easily and soundlessly. His bed was always so warm and it felt nice since it was so cold outside. The male did not have any dreams whatsoever as he slept…it was always blank as always. He had not had any kind of dream in years. It wasn't as if he was complaining of course. When the boy felt a shift on the bed, he let out a soft grunt before rolling onto his stomach. He did not bother to see what was moving, so he allowed himself to continue to lay there. It was only about fifteen minutes later when he smelt something delicious. Sitting up slowly he had glanced around grumbling. "Where the bloody…hell is that smell coming from?" Kicking the blanket off him, he had got off the bed and exited the room. Following the smell, he had ended up into the kitchen only to see Mattie cooking while singing.

Liam yawned softly as he rubbed his hair tiredly as he watched the boy move around. He didn't want to say anything because he was listening to what the boy was singing. Wait…it wasn't even English. " What language are you singing in?" Liam asked curiously as he stepped inside of the kitchen. Moving over to a chair, he sat on it while stretching his arms out. " Damn…if you keep cooking all of this delicious smelling food I will have to keep you hostage here." The male said with a laugh, before pausing. " Kidding of course." The male didn't want to scare the boy, so he made sure to let the other know hew as joking.

"You are like the perfect little house wife." Liam said with a loud laugh as he leaned back against the chair. " I mean you can cook, you are polite and you are singing while you cook. It is as if you came out of a Disney movie. " Liam said with a snicker before pausing at the realization at what he had just said. Oh god, either it was the tiredness that kicked in to make him say that, or he was loosing it. "Hey Mattie do you have a cell phone?" Liam asked the smaller boy with a questioning look on his face. If he were planning to keep the boy here, he would want the other to have a cell phone so they could keep in touch when he went out. Living in a neighbor hood like this you need a cell phone" Do you even go to school?" The red haired male asked Mattie with a blink as he rested an arm onto his knee. He was seventeen…so either he dropped out, or he still went to school. He himself dropped out of school. Heh, it probably was not a smart thing to do, but he did it. Shit happens.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu was just about done with his song, not realizing he was singing out loud, when there was a voice! Gaah! The male let out a squeal and spun around, his heart beating like crazy and the spatula still in hand. What... had he been expecting? It was only Liam of course. He was, obviously, expecting his father. The voice was way to nice for that though. The male shook his head and blushed deeply as the other spoke. "I-it's French. English is actually my second language." he stuttered before turning back around to the pancakes. Well, it was a good thing that Liam woke up on his own. He didn't want to go and wake up the male to ask him about how he was getting to school... As much as he did NOT want to go... he knew that he had to. School was important. Education was important. He had to do his best in school, pass, and go to college! That had been what his mother... The boy pushed the thought to the back of his mind and looked back to the boy as he spoke again... Matthieu's cheeks flushed once more as the other continued to speak. "You don't exactly have to keep me hostage... I don't really have anywhere else to go." he reminded the other, a hint of sadness in his voice. But... why was he sad? He did have a place to go... well, now he did.

The boy flushed deeply at the house wife comment and focused on the pancakes he was making. Why the hell did he keep BLUSHING? Well... being called a girl... no wait! Wasn't that something most people got angry at? Not most people, most GUYS. At school when a guy called another guy a girl they got mad... so why did Matthieu take that as somewhat of a compliment? Well... not exactly a compliment but he didn't mind it as much as most people would have. Aside from the Disney and the wife comment... he had been cooking and signing. The male didn't really think he was that polite though. He hadn't meant to sing out loud either! Before he could apologize for the singing, Liam spoke. "A cell phone?" he repeated as he grabbed a plate from beside him and set three pancakes on it. "Uh, no, actually. I'm probably the only teenager who doesn't... but my father never had the money to buy one. I don't have... anyone I would need to call so I never bothered." he explained as he walked over to the table, butter and syrup already on the pancakes and a side of bacon for Liam. The male set the plate in front of the other and grabbed the syrup, in case he wanted more and he probably would from the amount he had put on last night, and a knife and fork for him and set them next to his plate just as Liam mentioned school. The boy picked Kumajiro off of the table and set him onto the floor before straightening and looking down at his bare feet before speaking.

"I was actually about to ask you about that..." he said, fumbling nervously with the sleeve of his sweater, glued to his spot in front of Liam, his eyes staying on his toes. "I-I do go to school and usually i would just walk there in the snow to not bother you or anyone else... but I uh... don't really know where I am and how to get to the school from here." he said, his face - and ears - red. Walking would be miserable in this weather without his winter coat, his hat, scarf, and gloves but he didn't want to be a bother to Liam. The male had already taken him into his home... it would be so rude and unfair to ask the boy to wake up this early every morning just to drive him to school then to stop what he was doing at the end of the day and pick him up. They had JUST met and he was living in the guys house! What kind of person would he be if he even asked for that! Gaah! He was being so incredibly rude! So before the male could reply he looked up quickly, his eyes sprinkled lightly with fear. "It's not like you have to take me or anything! I-I can call a..." He stopped. He had no money. He couldn't take a taxi. "M-maybe i can take a bus or..." Matthieu stopped talking and stared down at his feet once more. He didn't have a penny to his name and most buses around here had fee's. Damn it. He felt so.. useless. "I'm sorry." he said, his voice now barely above a whisper.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had raised a brow when the other said it was some French song and that English was his second language. Seriously? That was pretty cool! He was just Japanese with some American in him. Kind of boring really. Pulling out of his thoughts, he smirked at the boy. "That is very trueee. " The boy said as he rubbed his chin like some evil man would do in some horror flick. Moving his hand away from his chin, he frowned at the other's response. " Well you can live with me as long as you like. If you keep cooking delicious food you can stay here forever." The man said with a snicker escaping his pale colored lips. The kid seemed pretty cool despite how shy he was. Normally he got along with people more like himself, but it was refreshing to be around someone …different.

Liam had pulled away from his thoughts when the other had spoken. "Oh really? I guess that makes sense. I can buy you one if you want? I mean you are going to need one if you are going to stay with me. This neighborhood is dangerous and it is best if you have a cell phone incase you get in trouble or need me." The male said with a simple nod of his head. He had shitloads of money stashed away, so he could afford buying the other a cell phone. Not some cheapo kind either. Liam smiled a little when the other had brought a plate over to the table with pancakes and bacon. Damn he could get use to this kind of treatment. Hah. "Thanks it looks really good." He nodded as he grabbed the syrup bottle and poured some on his pancakes. Picking up his fork, he jabbed it into the pancake as the other started to talk.

Ah, so he did go to school? Well that was good. Noticing that Mattie was stuttering and was kind of hinting around for a ride, he glanced up at the boy. He was going to say something, but Mattie kept on talking and stuttering quickly. Once the boy was done, he swallowed some of the pancake down. " You don't need to apologize Mattie. It isn't a big deal if I drive you to school. I never really have to go anywhere in the mornings anyways. However, what is the name of the school?" Liam asked the other curiously as he went to grab a slice of bacon. "Also…just so that you know…this food tastes fucking amazing!" The man announced loudly as he pumped his fist into the air. Oh so good!

_(Mattie's POV)_

Forever...? No one had ever used that word in a positive way towards him before. Heh... Liam said that now but would most likely change his mind eventually. Forever was such a long time... and chances were... things would change some day. He hated to think about it, especially since he had JUST started to live there, but Matthieu knew that reality would kick in some day. Sooner or later he would be asked to leave. That day couldn't be avoided. The male looked up and blinked as the man spoke on the cell phone thing. "H-huh?" he asked, more shocked than anything. It wasn't just the fact he was admitting how dangerous the neighborhood was - where the hell was he? - but... he was actually offering to buy him a cell phone! "Y-you don't need to do that for me! Cell phones are s-so expensive and I wouldn't really use it at all! Well.. I guess to contact you, but that's expensive for just one person!" he said frowning. Matthieu was a senior in high school... if he hadn't made any friends in four years of that and two of junior high, he didn't have his hopes up for making any at the end of the year. There are a little more than six months left... that wasn't enough time to make a friend.

... Unless that friend was _Liam_, of course.

Matthieu muttered a _'you're welcome' _as the other thanked him for the pancakes before looking back to his shoes. He hated being such a bother! "But it's so early." he muttered, figuring Liam was the kind of person that slept him. He looked like he did... heh. Then again, maybe it was bad to judge. Hopefully if he cooked every morning Liam would just wake up without needing to be woken up. If it came to a point where Matthieu had to wake Liam up so he could get to school... he'd probably end up being late for school or just not going. The male fidgeted with his sweater lightly and frowned as the other asked him the name of his school. S-shit! He was so nervous he couldn't even think of the name of his own damn high school! Then again... wasn't there only one? "It's the one that's near the post office." he muttered, still fidgeting. "I can't remember the-" The male stopped and snapped his head up as Liam cheered and thrust his fist upwards into the air. Even though he was still nervous and slightly shaking, the boy smiled. "I'm very glad you like it." he said softly.

Oh yeah... wasn't he going to eat? The man turned back around and went back to the stove, listening carefully for anything that Liam might say. Even though he had said not to be sorry... Matthieu felt bad. Other than cooking, he had nothing to offer the boy. What good was cleaning if he wasn't going to touch his guns? Then again... the kitchen looked like it needed a good scrub. The living room needed straightening and vacuuming. Maybe when he was left alone in the house he could clean everything for Liam. If it didn't make him happy, it would at least make his life a little easier..., not that he seemed to care about being clean or messy. It was just something that Matthieu could do for him. The boy finished cooking his own food, set it and the bacon onto a plate and walked back to the table. He sat silently where he had sat the night before, but didn't start eating quite yet.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had given Mattie a look when the other insisted that he did not need to get him a cell phone due to the fact they were expensive. Bah! It may be expensive, but he could afford it. "Bah, I can afford it. I make a lot of money, so it is not a problem. Even if it is only for you to get in touch with me, it will be worth it. No matter how hard you try to convince me out of it, I'm going to get you one." Liam said with a snicker as he shoveled some more bacon into his mouth. Liam let his eyes focus back onto Mattie when he had spoken about it being so early. "So what? It isn't a problem. " Liam shrugged his shoulders as he started to pick at his pancakes. All of this was sooo good!

The male had let out a small sound when the other tried to explain where the school was. " I know where that is. I can drive you there if you want? Are you planning on going to school today? Or…are you going to take a day off? It is up to you. Either way I don't have much to do today as of right now that is. " The male said with a nod as Mattie had went to get himself some food for himself. Once the other was sitting down and eating. "So when does school end? " The red haired boy asked as he finished eating. Grabbing his plate the boy had gotten off his chair and had set the dishes in the sink. "Thanks for the food, and if you are going today do I have enough time to get in the shower first?" Ugh how early was it anyways? There wasn't even a clock in the kitchen. Fuccck.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu stared down at his pancakes in an embarrassed manner as the other insisted again that he was to get a cell phone, then eventually just flat out said he had no choice and he WAS getting one. "Thank you." he said, regarding both comments he had made. Not only was he getting a cell phone... but Liam really didn't mind driving him to school? Ahh! What had he done to deserve such kindness from someone? No one had ever been this nice to him in his entire life! It was so... weird. It would take some getting used to, that was for sure.

When the other mentioned going to school, the male had just eaten his first bite. He chewed quickly and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before speaking. "I would very much like to go to school today." That was a flat out lie and Matthieu's eyes probably gave him away... but either way he WAS going to school. He had to! There was a test in his honors calculus class. It couldn't be missed! "Uh, school ends at three thirty." he said, confused for a moment about why he would need to know that. After a moment of thinking and another bite, he stupidly realized what he meant. Liam was offering to not only drop him off, but pick him up too. The male finished off his bacon and one pancake and stood as the other spoke again. "Uh... well it's kind of late.. but I don't mind if i'm late for school. It starts in ten minutes but you can go ahead and take a shower if you want to." He offered. His first class was English anyways and he hated that stupid class. The teacher was against him he just knew it! There was something about the way he watched him that just scared Matthieu! Stupid English.

_(Liam's POV)_

" No problem kiddo." Liam said with a smirk as he hopped up onto the counter. He rested his hands in his lap while his eyes remained locked on little Mattie. Hopefully he did not have to do anything today for the gang. Then again…he was their top drive by shooter, so it was only a matter of time for someone to call and ask if his car was 'fixed' yet. Ugh what a drag. Well hopefully if they do call for him it would be after he picked up Mattie from school. He wasn't going to leave the poor kid waiting there thinking he was going to show up, and he didn't. Fuck that.

Liam had kicked his feet back and forth, as the other had then told him that he wanted to go to school today. Even if the boy said he would like to go to school…the look in his eyes said otherwise. Eh he never liked school either. School was a pain in his ass and everyone was assholes. The teachers were just as bad as the kids themselves were. Fucking assholes. The male pulled away from the angry thought when told that school ends at three thirty. "Alright, that sounds good. " He nodded as he hopped off of the counter. When he was told school started in ten minutes, he had made a face. "Shit, I'll get a quick shower don't worry."

Rushing out of the kitchen, he had went to his room and grabbed some clothing before heading into the bathroom. After a good ten minutes, he had finished showering and had dried himself off. The male pulled on a pair of white pants with a red beater with the words 'Fuck you' in bold black letters. Ruffling his hair, he headed out of the bathroom and back into his room. Putting on his boots, he had then walked into his closet to get a black scarf. Wrapping it around himself, he walked out of the room. "Let's go Mattie! " He called out to the boy as he made his way over to the coffee table to grab his keys.

_(Mattie's POV)_

"It's okay, really. Take your time." he said gently as the boy ran off. There was no real hurry... he was always late for first period. It was no secret that he walked a long way and no secret he had family issues. His seat was in the back near the door for first and second period for just that reason. But his second teacher wasn't as terrible as his first period... which was when he was usually late. Ah well. The male grabbed Kumajiro gently and went back into the living room. He dropped onto the couch and pulled his socks and shoes over to him and pulled them on quickly. After that he dropped to his knees and rummaged through his clothes. It took a few minutes, but he quickly found his binder and shoved that, his sketchbook and (poor) Kumajiro into his bag. He then stood and set the bag down onto the couch gently. Hearing the water still running in the bathroom, the male made his way back into the kitchen and cleaned up. He finished just as the water was shut off. So he made his way back out and smiled seeing Liam, but made a face at the shirt. Ayaa, how inappropriate.

The male shook his head a bit and nodded. "O-oh! Hey, Liam..." The male paused and blushed as he leaned down and picked up the scarf from the previous day that Liam had allowed him to wear from off of the table. "D-do you mind if I wear this today? I still need to sneak back into my house sometime to take some warmer clothes since the sweater i have on is the warmest thing I have.." Oh, he was DEFIANTLY not looking forward to sneaking back into his house. But he KNEW that he had too! Winter had JUST started and... well... it was damn cold and it was only going to get colder. If the sweater was the only thing he was going to have for the entire winter... well... he was going to be so miserable the whole time.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had just walked over to the couch to get his phone when he heard Mattie stuttering out a question. Placing the cell phone in his pocket, he had straightened and let his eyes scan over towards the boy. " Hm? Oh yeah go ahead. I don't care." Liam said with a simple shrug when the boy wanted to make sure if it was okay if he wore the scarf. Liam had many scarves, so he did not care. "Actually, you can keep it if you want. I have more scarves than I should." The male said with a smirk. The red haired male adjusted his own scarf as he made his way towards the door. Stopping, he turned around and looked at the boy. "You said you needed you sneak in your house to get some clothes right? Well maybe after school I can take you there?" Liam offered with a smirk before blinking. "Crap I need to shut the hell up, so I can get you to school."

Opening the door, he waited for Mattie to walk out of it before shutting and locking it behind them. Heading down the metal stairs, he walked along the snowy sidewalk before heading over to his car. Pulling out his keys, he had walked around the car and unlocked it. Stepping inside, he sat down onto the driver's seat. Leaning over, he had unlocked the passenger door. Shutting his own car door, he put the key in ignition as he turned on the heat in his car. Ahh, much better. Instead of taking off like last time, he waited for Mattie to get situated. After a few moments, he stepped on the gas and took off.

Liam didn't even put on his seatbelt, hehe. He felt that it was too constricting and very uncomfortable. The boy knew if he got into a car accident he would be fucked up, but oh well. Liam was just about to start a conversation with Mattie when his cell phone vibrated. "Fuck! I'm vibrating!"

The male cried out as he moved a hand into his pocket to grab his cell phone. Opening it up, he placed it to his ear. "Yeah?-Oh the car? It will be either fixed later on tonight, or tomorrow. You will just have to get Jonny to take my pla-I cannot help it if my car is not working! If I could snap my fingers to make it work, I would. I am not some magical pixie. " Liam scoffed into the phone to his friend. He could tell the boy was butt hurt about him not being able to _'work,' _but oh well. "Anyways-What sound-Oh, I'm at the place where they fix cars idiot. Yeah uh huh. Just get Jonny to take my place ok? Alright, bye." Closing his phone, he had shoved it into his pocket.

" Sorry about that." Liam said with a sigh before blinking when the other had spoken. "Nah it isn't a problem. They have somebody that can take my place. You don't have to worry about it." Liam said with a small smile as he pulled up the parking lot to the school. "Here we are. So, you want me to pick you up at three thirty right?"

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu blinked and smiled lightly as the other said he could wear it. Before he could thank the other... he said he could HAVE it? Gah! That was so nice of him! "Thank you." he said softly as the other headed to the door. The male pulled the scarf securely around his neck then picked up his bag as Liam spoke again. Oh damn it. He should have know that that offer would be coming his way. Liam was already taking him everywhere and buying him all of this stuff, of course he would ask to take him to his house. That was really the last place that he wanted Liam to see though... he knew what to do! He would tell the boy to drop him a few blocks from his house, have Liam stay in the car then sneak to his house. Before he could speak the other had spoke loudly and cursed before heading out. Ah well. He could tell the boy about that after school he supposed or whenever he offered to take him by his house. Matthieu was silent once more and followed the boy out of the house and waited for the other before going over to the car.

As soon as Liam unlocked the car door the male rested his backpack down by his feet and got into the car. The first thing he did after closing the door was pull on his seat belt. Once the car began to move Matthieu turned his head and noticed... Liam's seat belt wasn't on! Before he could open his mouth and comment on it, the boy had cursed about... vibrating? Okay? The male blinked as the boy then pulled out his cell phone and started to talk into it. Heh... the vibrating thing made a lot more sense now. Wait... his car... wasn't working? Yes it was...Oh. He was saying that because of... him. That was his fault. Liam was lying to get out of work because of him. Waah! That wasn't right! He felt bad now... Matthieu squirmed uncomfortably and stared at his hands and listened as Liam spoke into the phone then hung up and apologized for the phone call. "You can go to work you know." he said without looking up. "I'll be okay." he said then blinked at the boy as he said that it was okay. Ah, well. He smiled and nodded a bit before blinking as he looked up.

They were at school already? Gah! How fast HAD they been driving? That or... Liam lived fairly close to the school. Regardless of why.. The male was confused seeing people around. It was eight ten... oh shit! There was a teacher meeting meaning school started a half hour late! He had totally forgot about that! Poor Liam didn't have to rush at all! Oh damn. Ah well... Liam didn't even seem to notice. Matthieu pushed up his glasses and looked back to Liam as he spoke. "Uh, y-you can if you want to, but you don't have to. I'm sure I can find my-" Matthieu stopped and blushed lightly as the male interrupted him and against insisted about picking him up. The boy blushed and pushed the door open. He didn't see the eyes watching him... but he sure as hell felt them. "Thank you for the ride, Liam." he said softly as he grabbed his bag and flipped it over his shoulder. "I, uh, guess I'll see you after school." He offered the boy a small smile before closing the door and heading down the path toward his high school, head and eyes down as he ignored the looks.

_(Liam's POV)_

Once he had dropped the kid off at school, he had been driving around and going to places. He made sure to stay out of areas where the people in the gang usually went. Last thing he wanted was to be caught in his lie. If he were caught there would be hell to pay that was for sure. The first stop, he went to get some more gas, and had then gotten a slurpie. On the third stop, he had gone to go get Mattie a cell phone. Pulling into the parking lot, he had gotten out of the car. Moving a hand into his hair, he walked into the store and glanced around. After a good fifteen minutes, he had gotten Mattie a nice red cell phone. He was almost out of the door when he spotted a keychain with a small white polar bear attached to it. Without thinking, he grabbed it and went back to the cash register. "I want this as well." The woman behind the counter had given him a strange look, but he glared at her and paid for the keychain. Grabbing the bag, he headed out of the store and back into his car.

An hour later, he was already back at the apartment plugging in his cell phone number into Mattie's new phone. He had even hooked the keychain to the phone as well. "Hmm…he needs a ringtone." Walking over to his laptop, he had went online to find a funny song he discovered on Youtube. He recorded the song onto Mattie's phone and placed it as his ringtone. "Hehe…either he will like the numa numa song, or be scared of it." Liam said with a laugh. It was almost time to pick up Mattie, so he grabbed his cell phone and Mattie's cell phone. Walking back out of the door, he locked it and made his way down to the car. Damn it was starting to snow again! Ugh! He hated winter!

It did not take him long to reach the school since he speeded to get there hehe. Parking in the school's parking lot, he had opened the car door and stepped outside. Walking around the car, he had leaned back against the passenger side of the car. His red and orange hair was blowing in the small gust of wind as he waited for school to be over. It did not take long however due to the fact that kids were already pouring out of the school and giving him strange looks. Some dirty looks came his way and others stared in confusion. Sheesh they all needed to get their fucking eyes fixed or something. Sighing, he allowed his eyes to scan the area as he crossed his arms. After a moment, the tall man saw Mattie exiting the school doors. "Mattie! Over here!" The boy called out to him as he waved his hand to catch the other's attention.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Guh! What a terrible day! Almost right after Liam had left for... wherever Liam was going, he had been surrounded. He had THOUGHT he was going to get the shit beat out of him, but mostly it was curious girls. Actually... it was all girls. They had asked who Liam was, if he was a college student, if he was single, where he was from, why they had never seen him before and so on. Matthieu had barely been able to escape the mob to get to his first class. Which ended up being miserable anyways. They were assigned a five minute speech to be given in two weeks. Matthieu was scared to death of public speaking... even more because the people in his English class tended to be cruel. Second period, his calculus honors class, was no better. That was miserable and he KNEW, he just KNEW that had completely failed it! At break he was, again, surrounded by curious girls causing him to get dirty looks from a lot of the guys. Third and fourth, Politics then French, had been awful as well. In Politics they were given a packet and in French another presentation assignment due the exact week that his English presentation was due. The French part of the assignment he wasn't worried about... it was the presenting in front of everyone. But alas, lunch. The last part of his day, lunch and fifth and sixth periods, he had art. The only time he could be alone and silent. There were two art rooms. One was where everyone was and taught, the second was empty and for storage. Since Matthieu had been taking art all four years he had complete twenty four seven access, and a key, to the storage room. He didn't even have to check in with the teacher! He was just allowed to go into the art room and work. So he did! Currently he was working on a painting. If his teacher hadn't come in when school ended, he probably would have kept working. Then, of course, he remembered Liam was picking him up.

The boy rushed and gathered his things, barely remembered to check his face for paint, and headed out of the building, his eyes on his feet as usual. It wasn't until he heard 'Mattie' being yelled did he see Liam by his car. He looked toward the male and headed over to him. "Hello. Thank you for picking me up." he said shyly, feeling the eyes on his back but easily ignoring them. Some people around him were jealous, some confused, and some just completely ignored Matthieu and looking at Liam. He was, to most people, just invisible. He didn't care. The male walked around the car quickly and got in, just wanting to get away from the school. He wanted a nap... or food... or just SOMETHING to take his mind off of school. Oh damn it! He still had to go to his house and get all of his stuff. "If you want me to go and get my stuff right now, I can." he said, his voice soft as he pulled his seat belt on. "You can just drop me off real quick at the post office. I can walk from there... I think people would notice if you drove through my neighborhood." This nice, bright red car? How would people NOT notice? "It might be better if I just ran in really quick by myself and got what I needed." he explained, fumbling with his shirt once more.

_(I am gonna stop here! Muwaha! The next chapter should be** A LOT **more interesting and drama filled. ;D PROMISE! SO KEEP READING AND REVIEW! ;-;)_


	4. BANG!

_Alright here is the forth chapter! It will be a bit lengthy, but oh well. ;D ENJOY! _

_**(~Continuing where the chapter left off!~)**_

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam smiled a little when the other finally noticed him and headed towards his way. At all the looks that were heading Mattie's way had caused his eyes to narrow lightly. Sheesh? Could they mind their own business and back the hell off the kid? They were not saying anything but their eyes said all. His cold expression dropped however when Mattie got closer and had thanked him for picking the boy up. " No problem. Hop in the car kiddo." Liam said as he patted the male's head before moving aside so Mattie could get into the car. The male adjusted the scarf around his neck before he made his way over to the driver's side of the car. Opening the door slowly, he had stepped inside the car.

Plopping down in his seat, he was about to reach in the back of the car to get the bag with Mattie's cell phone, but the boy had started to talk. "Sure sounds good to me. I would probably stand out anyways, so I don't mind waiting near the post office." The male nodded softly at the other as Mattie pulled on his seatbelt. "I have something to give you before we go though, alright? " Grabbing the bag, he had set it on his lap before moving a hand inside it. Pulling out the red cell phone, he had handed it to Mattie. "I told you I would get you a cell phone. See the keychain? I was so close in walking out the door, but that caught my eye. I figured you would like it, so I got it for you. The woman before the register gave me the weirdest look. Stupid old hag." He scoffed before resting an arm on the steering wheel. " I already put my number in it, so you don't have to worry."

Liam was about to turn on the car and take off, but something came across his mind. Did Mathieu even know how to work a cell phone? Turning his head to look at the boy, he raised a brow. "Do you need me to explain to you how to work the cell phone? They can be annoying to get use to at first. I can show you how to work it if you'd like." The male offered with a nod.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu pushed some hair from his face tiredly and looked over to the boy as he spoke and agreed. Oh, good. Liam wasn't asking questions about why he shouldn't come and even agreed that he should stay. It would be hard to think of a lie really fast about why he shouldn't come in... but he had even agreed he would stand out. Oh, how much of an understatement that was. The boy pulled from his thoughts and looked back at the other as he spoke. Give him... something? He blinked lightly and watched as the other pulled out a bag and spoke. Oh! His cell phone! Wow... Liam had actually gone and bought him one? He thought the boy was kidding... or would have waited just a little while before that. He took the red device and felt his eyes widen seeing the keychain. "It looks just like Kumajiro!" he said, his eyes widening and his mouth pulling up into a grin. He took the chain in his hand and felt it gently, barely listening as Liam continued to talk and started the car. Ahh! It looked just like Kumajiro. The eyes were even the right green. That had, obviously, just been a coincidence but it made him sooo happy! He pulled from his thoughts and looked back over to Liam as he JUST realized the male was still talking to him. Oh... had he been talking? Whoops!

The boy stopped and looked back down, blushing at the question. "Y-yes please." he said and offered the cell phone back to Liam, his face still red. "I've actually never used a cell phone... and at home we didn't have a house phone either." he said, his face still some what red. Guh! How embarrassing to be so technology illiterate in an age when technology was... everything. Really, he just wanted to get to his house and get that over with. School was such an irritating thing and it was starting to cloud his mind. Guuuh! The male shook his head and looked back up at Liam, still obviously embarrassed at his lack of knowledge.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had stopped talking when he noticed that Mattie was too amazed at the fact the mini polar bear looked just like his own stuffed bear. He seemed happier with the keychain than the phone itself. It didn't take much to make the boy happy, huh? "It does doesn't it? It could be…a baby Kumajiro. " The male said with a laugh before blinking when the other had asked him to help him with the cell phone. Damn! He didn't even have a house phone? Boy oh boy. Hopefully he was a fast learner. "Okay, let me see your phone." When the phone was given to him, he had opened it. "See this button will take you to your contacts ok? Once you hit the button, it will show you whose numbers you have. You only have my number as of now, but that is ok. So, if you want to call me, you just click my number and it will call me." The male said with a nod as he handed the phone back to Mattie.

"Sound easy enough? I can call you to make sure the phone works though." Hehe…, he just wanted to see Mattie's reaction to the ring tone. Pulling out his own cell phone, he had scrolled down to Mattie's number and called it. When he heard the song, he snickered. " I forgot to mention I gave you a ring tone too." The boy laughed as he started to finally pull out of the school parking lot. " I thought it was a funny song, so I put it on there." As he took off down the road, he had drove his way towards the post office. Pulling next to the sidewalk, he parked the car. " Alright, go and get your stuff, ok? I'll be waiting here. Also, be careful." The boy said with a nod as he looked over at the boy. He had no idea what Mattie's home situation was like, but he still remembered one of the first things the male said when he had found Mattie. 'He-he'll kill me-" Hopefully no one was home if that person Mattie was talking about was his father or something.

The man did not want to see Mattie come back crying, or hurt that was for sure. He would have to get his gun and shoot someone. Shaking loose from his thoughts, he gave Mattie a small smirk. "Now go."

_(Mattie's POV)_

"It really does..." he said staring at the keychain in amazement and happiness as Liam started to speak again. Oh, he should be paying attention, huh? Matthieu looked at Liam and at his phone as the other showed him what to do and how to call him if he ever needed to. "Oh... okay" he said and blinked lightly as the other said he should call him? He had just bought the phone, why wouldn't it work? Oh well... maybe there was something to it that Matthieu didn't know about? He blinked lightly and looked down to his phone as Liam handed it back to him. When it started to ring, the male squeaked lightly and jumped, startled. That was... scary! "It's kind of scary." he admitted, his eyes wide. Hopefully there was a way to change it... he would find out from the internet. He shrugged a bit before putting the cell phone safely into his pocket before undoing his seat belt and pushing the car door open. He got out of the car and blinked down at the male as he spoke again. "I'll be right back. I won't take long." he promised before walking around the car and towards the back of the post office where there was a tall, brown wooden fence.

Luckily hopping fences cut the two block walk to about five minutes, cutting through four yards and a small dog park. The people who owned the yards, of course, were used to him cutting through and didn't mind at all any more. He had been invited to birthday parties, dinners, and offered cookies and lemonade by the people who owned the houses. They loved him! Hehe. The male made his way over to the garbage bin, balanced his foot on it and hoisted himself up and over the fence with ease. Years of practice made something that was usually very hard for normal people very, very easy for him. Matthieu landed with practiced ease and smiled as a rather intimidating sized German Sheppard came wagging it's tail over to him. "Hey, little Gilbert." he smiled at the dog. "I can't play today, but I'll come back soon." he smiled as the dog whined before he made his way to the gate. What was good about going through the yards of people who were so close... was each yard he went through had a connecting gate. He just had to hop one fence. The male made his way through each yard quickly without meeting anyone and through the dog park across a street into a large trailer park. It wasn't trashy or anything, it was actually very nice... for a trailer park. The male ignored some of the smiles, mostly sympathetic, he received and made his way to the back of the park. Oh damn it! The truck was there!

This did make things just a bit harder. He thought a moment before walking around the trailer to where his room was and tried the window. YES! His window was unlocked. It usually was but some nights he just locked it. Usually nights when his nightmares became to much. He peered in lightly and noticed everything was just how he left it. Matthieu took a long deep breath before pulling himself into his window. He darted to his room quickly and shut the door and locked it. He didn't hear any movement from anywhere so chances were his father was passed out. Perfect. The first thing he did was grab his laptop case and shove his laptop and the charging cord into the same small pouch. The laptop had been the only nice thing his father had ever bought him. Well... really he had bought it with money his father had given him over the years in place of birthday's and Christmas gifts. It was out of date, SO out of date by like... five years, but the internet worked and it got the basic uses. Very basic... but that didn't matter to him. He had one. The boy dropped the case onto the bed and went to his closet and grabbed a large backpack, one he had used in middle school that was much to big and bulky.. but he could shove a lot of stuff in it which was currently all that really mattered. Matthieu pushed some hair from his face and started to shove all of his long sleeved clothes into the bag. He owned a few short sleeved shirts... but he was living with someone else now. He couldn't be caught in something short sleeved or his scars would... guh! The male shook his head roughly and went to his dresser. He shoved as many boxers, scarves, hats and gloves inside it as he could. Finally, on top buried under a layer or so, he shoved two small cases down which contained his extra pairs of glasses.

He dragged the bag over to his bed and bent down. He moved to look under his bed and rested his hand onto the ground and instantly let out a, much to loud, curse as a bit of pain shot through his hand and up his arm. He sat up and stared at his hand. Blood? Matthieu looked down to the floor and noticed the shattered vase pieces. It was still there? Last night when he had ran off... this what why he had run off. The vase that had nearly hit him in the head, missing by only inches and crashing into the wall behind him. It had been his mothers vase and had always sat next to his bedside table. Then his father, angry and drunk, took it... and destroyed it. The male frowned for a moment before shoving the pieces of glass away. This would just slow him down, damn it. The boy jumped up and went over to his dresser again and messily wrapped his hand in some bandages he kept just for things like this. Going back to the bed he bent down and pulled out a large trunk. Oh how he wanted to bring ALL of his art supplies. It would be so hard picking what he brought... and what he left. Right away the male grabbed every single old sketch book he had and shoved it into his bag. Well, that filled that. Jumping up, he ran back to his closet and grabbed another bag, this one more of suit case thing, and ran back. All for his art. He loved his art and... well... Liam would probably make fun of him but that was okay. The first thing he grabbed was a large, hard book. Full of his mothers sketches. He smiled and set it gently down before filling the bag with pens, pencils, pastels, paints, markers, paint brushes, empty sketchbooks, and every single thing he owned that was his mothers. Books, old sketchbooks, and her special things that meant nothing to anyone but him. Like a photo album and...

_The_ _locket._

Matthieu froze and picked the locket up slowly. How long had he left that in the trunk? He had put it there one night when his father tried to take it from him and he had.. actually forgotten? The boy shook his head and without thinking clasped the locket around his neck. The boy shoved it under his jacket before kicking the trunk under the bed still half full of art supplies. He was leaving behind half of his art supplies... and it kind of made him sad. The boy tossed a few more minuscule things into the bag before he closed it. It was so pathetic that he literally managed to put almost everything he owned, EVERYTHING, into two bags and a laptop case. The male shoved the thought away and grabbed his favorite beanie that was on his desk and pulled it onto his head. The male took one more look around his room before slowly and gently dropping his bags out the window. He then followed and closed the door down behind him.

This was... now real. He was free. It was then, however, that his heart started to beat harder. What if all of this was a trick? Would Liam and his car still be outside the post office when he went back with all of his things? What if he had left? The male lowered his arms from grabbing the bag when his hand brushed his pocket. The cell phone. He smiled to himself and grabbed his bags and the laptop case without another thought on the subject. The cell phone relaxed him a bit. Who could buy a cell phone for someone and leave them? That was a lot of money to waste like that. He just had to... trust Liam. How scary. To need to trust someone else? It was something he wasn't used to at all. Guh! The boy sighed lightly and pushed the images and thoughts of Liam not being there from his head before making his way away from the trailer. It took a lot longer to get back through the park and the yards. Mostly before the other pets, Princess the Persian cat in the yard closest to the dog park, then Francis the poodle who lived in the house next to Gilbert. ALL of them demanded some time of attention which was hard with all the stuff he had.

"Stop being so nosy, Gilbert!" Matthieu whined as the dog started to nose around his stuff. The first thing that the boy tossed over the fence was the bag with his clothes. This would look SO weird to anyone on the other side... a backpack just randomly flying over the fence? Heh... oh well. He then grabbed a small children's stool that belonged to the family and jumped onto it, throwing his bag with his art stuff over much, MUCH more gently. Followed by his laptop case which he literally pulled himself up over the fence so he could see it drop gently down onto the ground. Matthieu let himself drop back onto the stool and took another deep breath to prepare himself for the jump. This was always hard. "I'll see you later, Gil." he waved to the dog before pulling himself over the fence.

This landing was NOT as smooth as the other. He nearly tripped and fell on his face, but caught himself on the branch, his hand burning as he remembered the cut. The thought disappeared from his head as he noticed the red car was still there. Liam hadn't left him! For some reason, he was happy about that. Really happy. The male bent down and grabbed his two bags and the laptop case and went over to the car. By the time he was there he was out of breath and, again, gasping for air. He nodded at Liam as he was instructed to put the stuff in the trunk. He did as he was told and set the bags into the trunk and closed it before walking around and getting into the car.

Right when he sat, he leaned back tiredly and huffed, obviously tired and strained from moving so fast. He was not used to moving this fast. "I-I'm so sorry I have so much!" he gasped. Three bags... was a lot for him to carry and probably even more to him to just carry into someone else's house when he was just invited! Matthieu adjusted himself and winced as his hand caught his pants. He moved his sleeve up lightly and noticed the blood was only just starting to seep through the bandages. Ah, that wasn't to bad. It meant it was a very small cut compared to what he was used to if it was only JUST now bleeding through after all he had done. The boy adjusted the bandages on his hand before leaning back against with a huff before he pulled his seat belt on. After all that running and being so anxious... he was so tired... and hungry! "I-I'm so sorry that it took so long." he said and used his none bleeding hand to rub his eye lightly.

_(Liam's POV)_

" It is fine don't worry about rushing." The male said with a wave of his hand as Mattie unhooked his seatbelt and left the car. Liam allowed his eyes to follow the blonde haired boy as he made his way over to the fence. He could see the fence from here, and he would like to keep an eye on the boy while he was insight incase something had happened. Liam was somewhat surprised by how easily Mattie climbed over the fence. Snickering at the thought itself, he had leaned back into his seat comfortably. Now that he was alone and didn't have anything to do…his mind started to wander. It was weird that he was taking a runaway into his home when he had never…ever thought about anyone else besides himself after he left his old man. Normally when he saw someone being picked on he didn't give two shits and walked away. Why was this any different? Why did he take such interest in this boy? It couldn't be because of the food despite how…fucking amazing Mattie's cooking was.

If he were ever to speak about what he did to his buddies they would be shocked and think he was on drugs. His so called friends always looked at him as the short tempered asshole. Which he could be at times, but eh you couldn't be all nice and cheerful when in a gang. That would get you hurt or killed. What would Mattie think of him if he knew his so called 'work' was him being the gang as their driver? Not only was he their driver, he was one of their top hit man. Would Mattie get scared and run away and want nothing to do with him and only end up on the streets himself? He didn't like the thought of that.

What else worried him is what if the leader found out about Mattie? What if he wanted Mattie to join? That…he could not let happen. All of this was so tiresome to think about it. Sighing, he had moved his legs to rest them above the steering wheel, but he had accidentally beeped the horn in the process. "FUCKING A!" Liam cried out as he moved his legs away from the wheel. Stupid ass horn! Liam was just about to curse out loud again when he saw something fall from the corner of his eyes. Glancing to the side, he noticed a backpack randomly dropping in the snow. "The fuc-Oh Mattie." The man said out loud with a laugh before shaking his head. God he was slow at times. The male winced lightly when he noticed the boy heading over the fence and noticed the landing did not seem too pleasant.

Liam kept his eyes on the boy when he had gotten closer to the car. Leaning over, he had opened the boy's car door for him. "Put your stuff in the trunk kiddo." With that said, he had pressed a button in his car that opened the trunk for Mattie. Once the bags were set in, he watched in his review mirror as Mattie closed the trunk which would automatically lock itself. His eyes followed the boy as he sat down. "Huh? No it's fine. I don't mind." He shrugged at both of the apologies that came out of the boy's mouth. Liam was just about to start the car when he noticed Mattie with a bandaged hand. His red eyes widened, and he immediately began to spazz. "What the bloody hell happened to your hand? Who did this?" Feeling himself getting pissed, he had moved a hand under his seat to grab one of his guns.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu had just slowed his breathing when... Liam noticed his hand and freaked out. The male instantly realized that the other was reaching for his gun under his seat which was why he had started to lean forward. "N-No need for that!" he cried, reaching forward and touching the male on the arm gently, hoping to stop him. And it worked. "I-It was just an accident. There was a piece of glass from the smashed va-" The male cut himself off abruptly and pulled back quickly, appalled how he had just suddenly started to talk. He had ALMOST completely given away the fact he had ran away from home. He couldn't put that kind of pressure on Liam's shoulder. Matthieu had a messed up life... but that wasn't Liam's problem. Not at all. "I-I just cut myself on a piece of glass is all." he stuttered after a moment of awkward silence. "I'm okay. It's just a little cut... I've had worse." he said and looked down at his hand, falling into silence. Well... this was really awkward. He hadn't MEANT to touch Liam...he had just kind of reacted in hopes of the male not pulling his gun out. The very thought of looking at the gun cringed and frightened him.

He pushed the thought away and realized... they were sitting in a very awkward silence. "U-uh..." he started, his face turning a light shade of red. "I-if you'd like... we can go to the store and pick stuff up for dinner... I can make a really good pasta." he offered. "A-and we can get more stuff for pancakes." Hopefully this would make that awkward atmosphere... go away.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam was just about to pull the gun out from under the driver's seat when Mattie had stuttered out a yelp. He blinked blankly at the boy when he had then touched his arm. In some weird way he felt his heart pace quicken, but he ignored it and allowed himself to drop the gun under his seat. So it was an accident? Well that made him feel a lot better. However, hearing the ending part of Mattie's sentence, he had made a face. " From the smashed vase? " Liam questioned with narrowed eyes. What the hell was going on in that household? Did he really cut himself on accident, or was he trying to hide something? The male had pulled away from the thoughts as Mattie told him it was a small cut and he had a lot worse. A lot worse? The hell?

"A lot worse in what way? The male had asked the smaller boy with a serious look on his face. Liam didn't like the thought of someone laying a hand on Mattie. Not just him…just on someone in general who didn't deserve it. Mattie seemed and acted like a nice kid who was appreciative of a lot of things. How could someone hurt him if that was the case? Bah. People were cruel since he too had been in that kind if situation. Liam pulled out of his thoughts when he realized silence started to form. Liam was going to say something else, but Mattie had changed the subject. He decided he would let the previous conversation drop for now as the other spoke about pasta.

Letting his expression relax a bit, he thought to himself for a moment. He did have money on him, so he could pick up some things. "Pasta and more things for pancakes? Why not? I'm starving anyways." The boy said with a grin as he went to finally start the car. After a moment, he pulled away from the sidewalk and drove to the nearest grocery store.

_**(The next day. :'D DRAMA BE HERE. MUWAHAHA…)**_

_(Liam's POV)_

After another morning with awesome pancakes, he and Mattie had gotten dressed and ready to get in the car. Liam was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt with a pair of black jeans. It was extra chilly out today, so he had borrowed one of Mattie's shirts. It was kind of tight on him, but it kept him warm. He seriously needed to buy a jacket or something. Sighing mentally, he had parked the car in the school's parking lot. "I'll see you later alright? Also thanks for letting me borrow one of your shirts." Liam said with a laugh as he had then waved Mattie goodbye as the boy got out of the car. Pulling away from the school grounds, he had felt his phone vibrating. Pulling it from his pocket, he had answered it. " Hm? Oh yeah the car is fine now. What do you need?"

It was one of his buddies on the phone and he knew he couldn't keep blowing them off. When the male had told him there was a mission needed to be done, he sighed mentally. Oh well he needed the money, so he had to do it. " Alright I'll be at the base soon." Hanging up his phone, he had then reopened it and decided to text Mattie. After a moment or so, he had sent a message to him saying _'Hey I have to get to work today. I might be a little late picking you up. Ttyl-Liam' _Sighing, he closed the phone once more and drove off towards the base.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Guh! What a terrible day this had been! It had STARTED okay. He woke up, again, next to Liam and, again, ended up having a freak out and falling off the bed. And... again, Liam didn't wake up. So Matthieu got up, his some clothes, and went into the bathroom to change before he started on breakfast. He had been right in thinking that Liam liked his syrup so much better. The maple syrup and the fresh fruit on top! Hehe. After breakfast had been weird though... Liam had asked to borrow one of HIS shirts? He was okay with it, of course, and let him borrow it, but he could barely stop laughing at how silly he had looked. Why... he had looked like he could burst right through it! But that was okay. Liam had thanked him and told him that it was warm... which was good. Matthieu was warmer today too. He still had on his normal sweat, but he now also wore a warm hat, gloves, and the scarf that Liam had given him. SO he was a lot warmer than the past few days when he hadn't had them.

Minutes after he had been dropped off the boy's phone buzzed. Liam had taught him about text messages, so the boy opened it and only stared confused at the last comment. TTYL? What was that? Ah well... that meant he could stay after later and paint! Or so... he had thought.

Apparently his art teacher, and the other teachers, had another meeting and they had been instructed not to allow anyone to stay in their class rooms... so he was shooed out kindly. That, however, had only topped his bad day off. In his English class he had found out not only was he having to give a presentation, but he was paired up with some boy who absolutely hated him! Some kid... with spiky hair whose name he could not for the life of him remember... It didn't matter. He had just spent an hour being teased and having his glasses taken from him. Thank goodness that Kumajiro hadn't been found out! Then his next class went just as terrible... followed by his next two classes. French had even been awful! He had forgotten one of the most simplest terms ever! Guh! Art, usually his happy class, was just awful as well. Out of his three hours, the second hour, which was his first hour of class, he had been forced to stay in the class for some test. It was easy... just bad when people started to figure out he was in that class and wanted to know where he was all the time.

Now... now he had to wait outside in the snow. He didn't mind waiting for Liam, that was the only thing he didn't mind, but it was cold. The boy sighed and pulled his backpack off and dropped it into the snow with a sigh before he dropped next to it. Ugh. He was so tired. The male bent forward and let his head rest on his knees. Thank goodness today was over. Now he just had to go home.. and work on stuff. His two presentations and billion projects. The boy sighed again and felt a head ache begin to form. Before he could drift off into sleep... there was a shadow over him?

Assuming it was Liam, the boy smiled a bit. "I thought that you said you would be lat-" When the boy had lifted his head, he instantly froze.

_That _was not Liam.

His father sneered down at him before he grabbed his arm and yanked him up by his arm. "**I knew I would find you waiting out here for someone**." he snapped and yanked the small boy toward his old piece of crap truck, Matthieu's bag forgotten behind on the stairs. The boy tried to stutter something, call for help and at least yank his arm free, but was to stunned to do anything... why was he so weak? "_H-hey! No!_" Matthieu tried to protest being thrown into the truck, but before he knew it was he in and the door was slammed behind him. The truck was such a piece of shit that the door handle on the passengers side was completely gone. The only way to open the door was to have the window down - which had long been stuck in place by rust - or to have it opened from the other side. Matthieu cowered against the door as the older man screamed loudly at him before pulling away from the curb at an alarmingly fast rate.

Matthieu had no idea WHERE they were going... just that they were going. It had been, from his paying attention, only a five minute drive when they pulled in front of a nasty part of town in front of some large abandoned building. Where were they? Where were the nearest people? Was there ANYONE near by? As soon as his father opened the door the small male made the idiotic attempt to dart under his arms and through the snow down the road... and it did, of course, fail miserably. Instead he was grabbed even more roughly and literally dragged down the path and into the old house.

Once inside the boys father did exactly as was expected of a drunk with a temper. He shoved Matthieu as hard as he could against some old wall and tried screamed at him. Once the pain went away he tried, again more stupid and more clumsy, to dart under or around him and... failed again. This only led to him being grabbed rougher and shoved harder. When he hit the ground he was then greeted with a boot to his stomach. Again... and again... and again... When he had stopped trying to defend himself he was yanked to his feet again and shook by the collar. Matthieu's glasses were long forgotten on the ground somewhere... all he knew was he couldn't see but he knew exactly what was coming. Death? Ah, probably. That had most likely been the point of being dragged to the empty house in the middle of no where...

_(Liam's POV)_

Well after leaving the school from dropping Mattie off he had went to the base of the gang to find out what he had to do. It was your typical drive by shooting of course which he was used to. Just for doing what he did today he had made five hundred dollars. It was lower than what he usually got, but hell it was still a lot. So once he got back into his car, he had put his gun under the driver's seat and put his money into his wallet. Gah! It could barely fit! Ugh he needed a bigger wallet. Liam was about to take off, but he heard a knock on his window. Pushing the button down, he glanced over at his friend. "Nah I can't hang around I got somewhere to go-no I don't have a date! Oh shut up I got to get going. I'll see you tomorrow." He waved the male goodbye before pressing the button to make the window go up. Starting the car finally, he had backed up before moving forwards and turning around.

Well he was only ten minutes late and it only took about five minutes to get to the school, so hopefully the boy wasn't cold from waiting outside. On his way to the school he noticed some beat up truck passing by him on the road. Ew he felt sorry for who drove that piece of shit. Shaking the thought from his head, he had finally made it to the school. Parking his car in the parking lot, he had gotten out of the car. Liam let his red eyes scan the area and there was no sign of Mattie. Maybe he was waiting inside where it was much warmer? Shrugging at the thought, he had made his way up the school steps. However he noticed a backpack on the steps. Not just any ole backpack…Mattie's backpack. Feeling himself start to panic, he grabbed the bag, and turned to the nearest girl. " HEY! YOU! Do you know where they hell Mathieu is!" The man shouted at the girl which had caused her to squeal. He waited for her to say something, but…she was taking too long to respond! "HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU! WHERE IS MATHIEU!" The male shouted as he felt his eyes narrow.

Liam felt his fist tightened around the backpack when the girl informed him that Mathieu was shoved in the truck by his dad and that it looked like he was hurting Mattie's arm. The f-wait…the truck on the road…! He had to catch up to it! Without saying anything Liam had stormed off towards his car, opened the door and tossed the backpack inside. Stepping on the gas pedal he had drove off quickly. Liam didn't care how fast he was going, or who the hell he was butting in front of. The male swerved around every car he could so he could get to that fucked up truck. Liam could actually see it up ahead, but there was now two big trucks blocking his way. "C'MON! FUCKING MOVE YOU FAT ASSES!" Beeping the horn about a hundred times they finally took a hint and moved. About fucking time! Stepping on the pedal harder he zoomed down the road at about eighty miles. After a couple of minutes, he had finally made it to some old abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. The truck was already parked outside. CRAP! Grabbing the gun out from under his seat, he opened the door quickly and ran outside and over to the house. Kicking the door down without thinking he was met face to face with an older male shaking a beat up looking Mattie by the collar. His eyes narrowed dangerously and without thinking he ran over to the male who had just released Mattie by the collar. The dad was about to punch him, but before he could Liam had hit the male on the side of his head hard with the gun he had. This had caused the male to fly to the side and hit the floor hard. "Your days of fucking torturing him are over you bastard!" Pointing the gun at the man he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger and shooting him in the chest. Liam waited a few seconds, but it was obvious that the man was dead. Crap now he would need to hide the body. Grunting, he had turned around to see Mattie on the ground looking shocked and confused.

Seeing the glasses on the ground, he had walked over to them and picked them up. Placing the glasses on Mattie's face, he had brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "Hey, you are safe now. He won't ever lay a hand on you anymore, but now we need to get out of here, ok?" Placing the gun in his back pocket, he had picked up Mattie in his arms and ran headed out of the house quickly. Opening the passenger door, he had set Mattie on the seat and put his seatbelt on for him. Getting in on the drivers side, he had instantly pulled the gun out of his pocket and shoved it under his car seat before grabbing his cell phone. Dialing one of his buddy's numbers he waited for the guy to answer. "HEY! I need a huge ass favor from you and the others. I just shot someo-STOP LAUGHING! I shot someone and I need you and the others to get rid of the fucking body. -Why? DOES THAT REALLY MATTER!-UGH! I have this kid staying with me, and the father got a hold of the kid at school brought him to some fucked up abandoned house and start to abuse him! I shot the bastard and he is dead! So get your mother fucking asses over to the abandoned house! -Where is it-Yes, that house. I'll be at my apartment if you need me. Uh huh, bye." With that said he shoved his phone into his pocket and took swerved out of the area.

Great now Mattie is going to know about him being in some kind of gang now. This also meant the others will know about Mattie as well. Fuck. Just great! Hopefully the boss won't want anything with the kid, but he had a feeling he was going to get some kind of punishment. Liam glanced over at Mattie who seemed lost in his own little world. Sighing mentally, he glanced back on the road as he made his way to his home. After a few moments he and Mattie arrived at his apartment. Liam turned the car off and got out of the car. The boy opened the door for Mattie and had grabbed him by the arm lightly to help him out and grabbed the boy's backpack. Heading up the stairs, he had unlocked his door and headed inside. Tossing his keys on the coffee table, he had then set the bag down. " I'll get some band aids. " With that said he headed to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Grabbing a box of band aids the male had then walked back to the living room. "Do you hurt anywhere else other than the small bruises and scratches?" Liam questioned the other with a frown as he started to put band aids on the cuts. God he wished he didn't have to go to that fucking mission now. If he would have known this would have happened…he wouldn't have gone to the mission.

"I'm sorry that this happened…I wish I got there earlier. I also guess this means my…secret is out about being in a gang. They will get rid of the body, so you don't have to worry…ok? " Liam said even though he had a feeling that wasn't going to help. Once he was done putting on the band aids, he had set the box on the coffee table. Liam moved a hand to touch the other's head as a frown tugged at the corner of his lips. That bastard deserves to be dead for what he did to Mattie. Fucking asshole deserved a lot more other than a smack to the face by a gun and getting shot. It just pissed him off so much that the man drove all the way to school to pick up his son just to yell and beat the shit out of Mattie. What if he was even later because of the mission? What would have happened then? Would there even be a Mattie still left? Liam didn't like the thought of that, so he shook it away and stared at the boy. " If there is anything you need just let me know? I'll do whatever you ask." The male asked the boy with a small nod.

_**(I am going to end it here~! ;D And it was just getting juicy. Muwahahaha Anyways PLEASE REVIEW! D: Also! There should be a new character…or two showing up soon. :'D )**_


	5. Little Visit For Liam

_Alright here is the fifth chapter! DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA~ ;D_

_**(Also here are the two characters I told you about. :'D However only one of them will show in the chapter. )**_

_**Name**_

Jared

**Nicknames**

Everyone calls him "Boss".

**Age**

Unknown

**Likes**

Woman, guns, violence, loud music, cars.

**Dislikes**

Children, idiots, people who don't listen, cops.

**History**

No one in the gang he runs knows anything about Jared. How he got stared, what caused him to be so violent, or why he started the gang. All they know is that he supplies them with weapons, money, shelter, and protection when they first join. The long truth behind the gang is it had been started by someone he grew up with then Jared took it over when the guy got killed in a shoot out. Since then, he runs the gang just like his friend had. Hard. Cruel. Unforgiving. Jared had easily just killed someone for disobeying one rule the first time as he did when he beat someone for looking at him the wrong way. It was harsh, he knew it, but every one listened to him because of it. Better yet... his eyes scared the shit out of everyone.

**Name**: Cole Lee

**Nickname**: N/A

**Age**: Seventeen

**Likes**: Guns, guitars, cigarettes, cars and boys~

**Dislikes**: Being yelled at, being proved wrong, not having a cigarette since it gives him a tummy ache when not having one

**Personality**: He is generally a good kid at heart and is very playful. He can play Mr. Clueless at times, but he is very wise and aware of what the things he does. Sometimes he may act out and make fun of others, but he is trying to stop that.

**History**: Cole is half American and half Japanese and has lived a somewhat stressful life. His mother committed suicide after he was born because he was an 'unplanned' child and his father cares little for him. He still goes to school, but besides that he doesn't keep in contact with his father and has joined a gang. The money pays well, so he doesn't mind. The only thing that keeps him going anymore is his guitar in which he plays a lot and the gang.

_**(~Continuing where the chapter left off!~)**_

_(Mattie's POV)_

Ah, yes. This was going to be where he was going to die. He felt his father shake him a bit but other than that... he didn't feel much. The pain in his stomach and his head were growing then beginning to fade at all the same time. He clenched his eyes shut and expected a fist in the face... when there was a loud slam. Something fell? Broke? What had happened? Whatever happened he heard his father shouting at someone... then a voice. A very.. very familiar voice. Before he could put the voice to a face, he was dropped roughly against the wall. Matthieu groaned and rolled onto his side. Before he could sit up... there was a very loud and very close thing that sounded like an explosion. He let out a cry and sat up a little to quickly, cringing in pain and fear. That sounded like... a gun shot? His mind didn't even try to process what happened. The male merely sat there and stared at the blurry shapes in front of him, confused.

Matthieu watched as one of the shapes moved towards him. From reaction, he moved back away from it. It was then, however, he realized the male wasn't moving at him in anger. It wasn't his father. He flinched shape moved and then his glasses were placed on his face and his hair pushed behind his ear. He stared at Liam, then moved his eyes to his father. He wasn't moving... and there was blood. He couldn't seem to move his eyes away."What did you do?" he whispered, but Liam didn't seem to hear him. The boy tried to pull back as the other picked him up, but to no use. With ease, Liam had picked him up and carried him out of the old house. It was, as usual, snowing once again. When would it stop? Probably never? He let out a sound of pain as he was put down into the seat, his seat belt put on, then Liam went around to the drivers seat. Matthieu could feel his heart beating at a ridiculous speed. What had just happened? It still wasn't able to process in his head. It just... what the hell had Liam done?

The boy pulled from his thoughts and looked over as Liam started to yell into his phone. Dead? His father was DEAD? Liam had actually shot and killed his father? Matthieu numbly turned his head and stared down the road as Liam drove. The pain in his stomach was gone. So was the pain in his head. What was going on? Who exactly was Liam? Did this mean... did this mean that he was an orphan?

The male turned his eyes down as the car pulled in front of the apartment. He unbuckled his seat belt and before he could move further, Liam had come around the car. Matthieu fought the urge to cringe and allowed the boy to help him out of the car and lead him up the steps and into the apartment. He didn't bother nodding as the other ran off to get the bandages and merely walked over to the couch and sat. Right as he sat reality kicked in and the pain started again. He winced and closed his eyes, only realizing that Liam was back when he began to put band aid's on him. "No." he lied softly. Matthieu had to admit to himself... that was kind of a stupid question on Liam's part. He wasn't cut up or bleeding much... but he had been kicked... oh wait. Liam had come AFTER that... or had he come before? The memory was all a blur already. He didn't want to remember... so ignoring the pain in his stomach and in his head so he wouldn't have to talk about it was the best thing to do. It would go away like it always did. It would just take... a little bit of time.

The boy stared at his hands on his lap as Liam spoke and explained. A.. gang? The male felt his lips tug down into a frown. That explained everything... the guns. The nice car.. was that where Liam's money came from? He felt almost horrified that he had bought all of the food and owned a cell phone with money that came from that kind of job! He no longer wanted it... the food or the phone. A part of him would have rather lived on the street than in a house paid for with that money. Matthieu winced a bit as the other touched it his head. He wanted to pull away from the touch... but didn't. He was... afraid of Liam. He hoped that Liam never got mad at him... would Liam shoot him? The boy didn't look up and only shook his head slowly as the other commented, asking if he could do anything for him. "I just want to go to sleep." he whispered, his voice surprisingly hoarse. He wouldn't be surprised if the fear was obvious. Matthieu just wanted to sleep and wake up in the morning and hope that this was all a bad dream... So much for working on his French and English presentations.

_(~__**A while after the incident.~)**_

_(Liam's POV)_

Ever since the whole incident with shooting and killing Mattie's dad things have been somewhat complicated. His friends had managed to get rid of the body with ease, but since then…he had been avoiding his boss. His boss was kind of complex so who knew what he would do if he saw him. To top it all off Mattie has not been talking to him either. The small boy had not said one word to him or…even looked at him! Mattie just cleaned around the house, cooked and did his homework and draw from time to time. Liam had been letting it slide so the boy could get himself together in a way, but…nothing was happening. It did not seem like the boy was getting back to his usual state…and it was driving him crazy! He was kind of worried that Mattie was very scared of him now.

Then again, he did shoot the kid's dad and he was in a gang, but that did not mean he was ever going to hurt Mattie. However, Mattie probably did not think that and was probably too scared to even say anything to him. Liam moved a hand to his hair as he lied on his bed staring at the ceiling. Ugh, he rather have Mattie yell at him or hit him than be quiet! He couldn't take it anymore! He was tired of all of it! Liam had sat up on his bed, and hopped off it. Walking over to the door, he opened and stormed into the living room. No Mattie. Turning around on his heel, he had made it into the kitchen. Seeing the boy drawing, he had started to spazz. "How long are you going to keep the silent treatment up? It is driving me crazy! You don't say a word anymore! You won't even look at me! Look, I am sorry about all of this! I am! I didn't tell you about the gang because I didn't want you to get involved. There is no reason to be scared of me either if that is the case! I wouldn't land a hand on you. Look I would get out of the gang if I could…, but the money is really good and if I leave on my own free will I can get killed. I'm only in this mess because of the money and the fact the boss picked me off the streets after I ran away from home. God! Just say something! If you are mad at me then yell at me, or even hit me! I can't take the silence anymore!" Liam shouted as he made a face at the boy. Ugh…that felt much better…letting all of that out.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu hummed softly and stared down at his drawing before moving his hand gently along the line of the woman's face, the pencil adding just a bit more shadow to her face. He was drawing his mother. Again. Every time he was angry or confused... drawing her seemed to fix all of his problems. He had drawn... so many pictures of her this week. He had filled his old sketchbook and stared a new one and it was almost full. Other than calming him down he hadn't come to a conclusion on what he should do about the... situation.

Should he leave? But where would he go?

Should he talk to Liam? But what if Liam go mad and kicked him out? Where would he go then?

He sighed softly and ruffled his hair. He had gone back to being his normal self, the person he had been before he had met Liam a week ago. Meaning he was quiet... kept to himself and out of the way. He still cooked and cleaned of course! And thanked Liam every morning for taking him to school and cooked him dinner every night. However... if Liam was in the living room, Matthieu went out of his way to be in the kitchen. It just went that way with... awkward silences. It was hard to look at Liam know... knowing that he had killed like that... so easy. Killed his father like that. How many people had Liam killed in his life? How long had he been a part of a gang? Who was he really? It was such hard things to think about! And so.. scary.

The male sighed again and set his pencil down. He closed his sketchbook gently and jumped, squealing as the door was thrown open. In came.. Liam. And he was talking very, very fast. Matthieu looked up wide eyed at the boy as he just started to... talk. Why was he yelling at him? What had he done to make Liam so mad? The male felt his fear filled eyes widen... then grow confused as he kept talking. Silent treatment? He had been being quiet... but every time Liam spoke to him he spoke back. Wasn't the silent treatment not talking at all? Matthieu kept his eyes on the male and stared at him as he spoke, frozen to his chair. Had... it been that noticeable that he was afraid of Liam now? Liam went from screaming about not hurting him... to explaining about the gang and why he couldn't leave... to the boss man picking him up from the streets?

The male stood up slowly and looked from his sketchbook, to Liam, back down to his sketchbook as the awkward silence filled the air. He... didn't know what to say to him. "I-... I'm not angry at you. I-I mean I should be... I guess that I am..." He stopped, frowning as he struggled for words. "I could never hit you... I just..." He furrowed his eye brows together, trying desperately to find the correct words. He didn't know what to say! He didn't know how to say it... "I'm confused... i've never believed that violence was right and I... I still don't. Even after everything my father's done to me... I can't even hate him." he said frowning still. The male squirmed a bit and turned his head to the side, still not looking at Liam.

"I've been so quiet because i've been thinking... i'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had let his eyes stare at the wide-eyed boy. Gah! What if he scared the boy even more for yelling at him? God he could be such an ass at times! Liam was just about to apologize for yelling, but Mattie had started to speak to him. He wasn't mad at him-he was? Liam had raised a brow at the boy as he seemed unsure if he was mad at him or not. "Then what…?" Liam asked the boy started to say he could never hit him and started to stop talking. The red haired male watched as Mattie seemed to struggle on what to say before he started to speak some more. He could never…hate his dad for what he had done? Mattie was a little too kind. He hated his father for all the shit he pulled on him. He would go back to kill his old man himself, but eh it was not worth it now.

" You may not be able to hate him, but I can. Someone who goes out of their way to beat the crap out of their own child is nothing more than a monster to me. If I didn't do anything that day you would have gotten hurt more…, or even have died and I couldn't allow that to happen." Liam said with a stern look plastered on his face. The boy had blinked however, when Mattie seemed confused and asked 'why.' " Why? The reason is because I have too been in the same situation as you before and I cannot let someone as kindhearted as you be abused by someone like that." The male said with a small nod as he stepped forwards to place a hand on Mattie's head. " My father was abusive as well and did anything he could to make me feel like I was worse than shit. My mother passed when giving birth, so that is why he took his anger out on me. When I was sixteen, I finally ran away. I ended up on the streets and that was when the boss of the gang found me. I may live a dangerous life now and did some things I shouldn't have, but I would rather be in some gang then ever live back with my old man." Liam told the other with a small frown.

" Also you don't have to apologize…I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to yell at you, I just wanted you to go back to your ranting happy cooking self." The boy said with a small laugh before moving a hand away from Mattie's hair. "So…, are you still mad at me? " Liam had asked the other with a blink of his red eyes.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu swallowed slowly and looked back down once more. When Liam stared to talk the boy looked up quickly and stared at him as he spoke. Why... why did he care so much? "W-what? Why?" he stuttered, staring at the male confused. Why in the world did Liam care? He didn't understand.. When Liam replied the boy felt his eyes widen and his shoulder drop in surprise. Liam had been abused when he was little? From the way he acted.. well... actually it made sense now. The guns... the gang... The boy listened carefully as the other spoke and put one hand onto his head. His mother died to? The amount of things they had in common... it surprised him. Well... they didn't have THAT much in common. They both ran away from home... they were both abused... and both had lost a mother who surely would have protected them. Matthieu felt himself looked down at his shoes as Liam continued to speak. How could he have been be so judgmental like that? He was afraid of Liam just because he was in a gang and had all of those guns? To him it had made sense... but hearing Liam's story well... it made so much more sense. He wasn't afraid of Liam. He just couldn't be. He didn't need to be...

"I'm not mad at you." he said softly. Without thinking, the boy stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the boys waist in a hug. he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the others chest lightly. Guuh. Why did Liam have to be taller than him by so much? It made him look... more like a girl! Maybe he should cut his hair off? The boy pulled his head away from the others chest and smiled brightly up at him. It would be best to just forget everything that happened. It would be easier. He forgave Liam now... they just had to move on. "Hey, Liam! How about we have hamburgers tonight! I can make really good ones and we have everything so we won't have to go to the store or anything! And we even have potato's so I can make homemade french fries!" he said with a bright grin as he released the other from the hug. Matthieu stepped back and crossed his arms behind his back and gave Liam a shy smile.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam waited for Mattie to say something…anything and when the boy finally spoken he felt a weight being lifted off his shoulder. Well it made him feel a lot better that the boy wasn't mad at him. Liam was going to say something, but he was suddenly embraced by the smaller boy. He felt his eyes widen at the contact, but had allowed them to soften a bit. Moving a hand to the boy's head, he had ruffled Matti's blonde locks. It felt a bit awkward to have the other hug him, but in a strange way he didn't mind it at all. Liam had pulled out of his thoughts when Mattie had looked up at him and started to talk. The tone in his voice sounded a lot happier now and it put him at ease. " Hamburgers and French fries huh? Sounds like a fucking awesome idea to me! " The older male replied with a big grin

When the other had pulled away from him, he had walked over to the freezer and opened it. Taking the meat out, he had set it on the counter. Shutting the freezer door, he had opened the fridge. He grabbed some cheese, onions, lettuce and tomatoes. Setting them on the counter, he had then grabbed some potatoes. " I may not be able to cook…, but I know how to cut vegetables. " Liam said with a laugh as he went to grab a knife. When he did grab it there was a knock on the door. Eh? Who would be knocking on his door. Setting the knife onto the counter, he turned to look at Mattie. " I'll be right back." With a small nod he headed out of the kitchen and made his way into the living room. Who would be knocking on his door? Ugh. Walking over towards the door, he unlocked it and opened. To his utter surprise there stood his boss Jared. He felt his eyes widen a bit. FUCK! "Hello… " Liam greeted the man nervously before stepping back to let the male inside.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared growled loudly to himself and pushed the door of his blue convertible open and stepped out into the snowy world. Though it was snowing and cold as fuck, the male wore nothing more than his casual dress. A pair of blue jeans, red converse, a gray shirt with the number thirty three on it and a light jacket. Around his neck, dog tags from a time he wouldn't tell anyone and beat those brave enough to ask. He saw how his gang gawked at him for being used to the freezing temperatures and even when he was cold he shoved it away and stuck to his style. It was fun seeing the eyes stare at him like he was something more than human. Currently, however, he was pissed. His best driver, and one of the highest ranked kids he had in his gang had just disappeared. He wasn't answering his phone and after they had disposed of that damn body for him, he just disappeared. That was not polite at all so he was paying the rude little fucker a surprise visit to... well... perhaps rough him up just a bit. He thought that he had made it clear to everyone that when his number showed up on their caller ID's, they picked the phone the fuck up. He didn't care if they were at a funeral or in the middle of fucking someone, or something, they picked the god damned phone up and answered. He had called Liam twice. Both times his calls had been ignored or went unseen. Liam was in some seriously deep shit. His stupid red piece of shit was right there so he KNEW that ass was in there.

The male slammed his door shut before walking over to the door swiftly after giving Liam's precious car a rough kick and a little dent. He went up the steps and knocked twice. There was a special knock to alert gang members it was a fellow member, but where would the fun in that be? He looked forward to see Liam squirm and look at him in horror by the surprise visit and the knowledge of WHY he was there. When a gang member was in trouble.. they knew they were in trouble. The thought of Liam's horror almost made him smile, but he stopped himself and merely leaned against the door frame. As he thought. The fucker WAS home... and the look on his face was priceless. "Is that really all you have to say you me, you little fucker?" he spat as he walked into the apartment ignoring the greeting completely. Jared had been there multiple times, all under business... there were a few things different about the apartment though. It was clean, for one thing. Sketchbooks? A French books? Those must belong to his new roommate. The idiots little friend had told him the phone call said that it was a 'kid' living with him. What kid studied High School French? If the little fucker was that damn smart what the hell was he doing with some idiot like Liam?

"I've called you twice, Liam." he said, turning to the male, his voice dangerously low, his already ice blue eyes narrowed into slits. The anger on his face was evident, but so far he made no move to attack the idiot. Liam knew he was in trouble... and Liam also knew that he couldn't defend himself. There were guns lying everywhere, sure, and Liam could easily reach one if he wanted to... but unlike others, Liam wasn't stupid. There were many who wanted Jared dead... but more than his gang knew who would kill whoever killed him would be killed slowly... painfully... an indeed torturous death. He made this clear to his gang and even went out of the way to introduce one of the very people who would kill them if they tried, or even thought about, killing him. Ah, what a fun terror filled day they had had!

As Liam started to speak, excuses most likely, Jared only raised his hand in front of him and Liam stopped. "I don't want to hear your excuses, boy." he snapped coldly. Before he could speak more... a young.. girl came into the room. Girl? Was it a girl? FUCK! It was a GUY? If it was a girl that was the most flat chested woman he had EVER seen. If it was a guy... it was a damn fucking pretty boy. He stared at the kid as they smiled brightly and asked him if he wanted to stay for dinner. Hamburgers? He blinked before letting out a small nod. He watched the kid smile at Liam before running into the kitchen again. He stared after before allowing a small, dangerous smirk creep onto his lips. "Ah... I think I see now. Is that the kid you've gone and abandoned us for?" His voice dropped another octave, moving quite close to the voice he used right before shooting someone.

Liam knew better than anyone what happened to people who left the gang. He had been around when Jared had dealt with them, often time in front of all the other members. First, those they left FOR were killed. Usually it was a girl or family or a sibling. They were killed slowly, then the ex gang member were killed... or barely left alive. It was often much better to keep them alive, unable to speak or write or often move, than to just kill them. Causing them to live with the images of their loved one dying before them because of them was often much, much crueler than death itself. Liam would have to defend himself like crazy and do quite a bit of work for no charge to get out of this one. Cutie in the other room or not, Jared would beat the shit out of Liam in front of him. "What's his real name?" he asked, barely paying attention as Liam ranted and apologized, calling the kid Mattie. Mattie could NOT be his real name... that was stupid, Matt, or something? Jared dropped onto the couch comfortable and crossed his leg, one ankle resting on the opposite knee. He pulled his own gun from his pocket and twirled it around his fingers gently. Oh Liam. He quite liked Liam and it would be a SHAME to loose him.. he was such an obedient little boy. Before the boy could answer, he smirked and spoke deciding to voice his opinions. "You know, Liam. It would be quite a shame if something were to happen to the kid over there, hm?" he said and glanced around the apartment innocently. "He's awful cute."

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu felt his smile widen as the other said that that sounded good. "Yay!" he cheered before moving around the kitchen to get the seasonings he would need. He grabbed some of them then looked over to Liam as he spoke. The boy laughed and smiled. "That's the part I don't like doing, so you are being quite helpful." he offered with a small laugh. A few moments later... there was a knock. Company? He blinked and nodded as Liam left the kitchen. Shrugging it off the boy dropped the already defrosted hamburger meat into a bowl. He had been planning on making burgers for dinner anyways so it was defrosted... but now he was making them and he was happier. There was still, of course, a lot on his mind. For now he pushed it away and poured some bread crumbs and seasonings into the bowl. Just as he started to mix it, with his hands of course, there were voices coming from the living room. One he didn't recognize? The boy went over to the sink and washed his hands. Drying them messily he went into the living room.

Oh, it was another guy. A really tall guy with brown hair and... almost scary blue eyes. How were his eyes THAT blue? Were they contacts? Matthieu felt the questions on the tip of his tongue but pushed them away and only smiled happily at the stranger. "Hello! Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making hamburgers." he said, then brightened more as the man nodded. "Okay!" He smiled at Liam before turning and going back into the kitchen. It wasn't until then did he realize he had walked into a tense situation. Liam had looked distressed and the other guy looked angry. Well.. HAD looked angry. After Matthieu entered it was more of a confused look that had been on his face. Oops... had Matthieu done something bad? Maybe he shouldn't have invited the guy to dinner! It was to late now though... The boy sighed before going back over to the bowl to continue to mix the contents. After they were mixed he washed his hands very carefully and thoroughly before he picked up the knife that Liam had been about to use to he could cut the potato's correctly.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had felt his stomach turn in a bad way as the other had spoken to him. He was in deep shit now if Jared was going out of his way to come here. Liam knew something like this would happen eventually, but he tried not to think about it. Either he was going to get the shit beaten out of him…, or killed. Then again, would Jared seriously kill his best hit man? Then again, it depended on the other's mood he supposed. When the male stepped inside, he shut and locked the door behind him. Moving a hand into his hair nervously, he had sighed when the other had mentioned about the calls. "I know…and I apologize for not picking up your calls. It had been qui-" Liam was cut off when Jared said he did not want to hear his excuses. Liam was just about to say something, but he heard a voice. Turning around he noticed a happy Mattie. When the smaller boy offered for Jared to stay for dinner he felt like face palming. Oh god damn it! Then again, Mattie did not know this person was his boss, so he could not be blamed.

Liam had blinked a bit when he noticed that evil little smirk forming on Jared's cold lips. The red haired boy raised a brow when his boss had started to speak in that dangerous tone of his. "Look Jared, I did not abandoned you guys for him. I wasn't planning to leave the gang I am not that stupid. Things have been stressful since the shooting incident. I know that isn't a good enough reason to avoid your calls, but I was planning on coming back soon as things settled down a bit." Liam told the older man as he had then asked for Mattie's name. "His name is Mattie." Liam replied with a small sigh as Jared had then plopped down onto his couch. Liam just stood there behind the coffee table staring at Jared as he slowly started to pull his gun out. Liam kept his eyes on his boss as he started to spin the gun around his fingers. Liam could feel his eyes widen at the man's next words. Oh hell no. Liam was not going to let Jared touch Mattie. As much as he wanted to glare at the male, it would only make things worse. " Look don't do anything to the boy. He has been through enough shit already. If you are going to punish then tell me what it is going to be. All I can say is that I am sorry for not picking up your calls and not going to work when I should have. " Liam said with a sigh.

Letting his hand fall to his side, he glanced to the side of the room. He hated how Jared was playing this little game with him. If he was going to punish him then get it over with already! As long as Jared did not do anything to Mattie then he did not care what would be done to him. Letting his red eyes fall back onto Jared, he blinked. "However if you are going to punish me at least let it wait until after dinner. Alright? Mattie is a wonderful cook and I'm sure you'll love his hamburgers." Heh, maybe Mattie's food will put the other into a somewhat…better mood? Bah who knows. "Also…he hates violence, so can you try not to mention anything about the missions in front of him?" Liam asked with a sigh before heading over to the couch to sit down. Standing up was getting on his fucking nerves. Plopping down, he rested his head against the couch. " Just tell me what you are planning on doing alright? " The man asked Jared as he stared across the room. Well this was surely enough a horrible day. He makes up with Mattie and then Jared comes along to probably kick his ass.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared stared at the other and felt his eyes narrow as he spoke and sat. "No, you fucking idiot." he snapped, hitting the other on the side of his head roughly as he said the boys nickname again. "I don't want his fucking nickname. I was his name. And who the hell do you think you are trying to tell ME when I should punish you and who I should or should not hurt?" He gave Liam a death glare until the boy shut up and stared at him, trying not to glare and obviously afraid. After a moment he sighed and leaned back, dropping his gun lazily onto the table. For the moment, he was calm again. He had a habit - which was done completely on purpose - of going from angry to calm in a blink of an eye. It scared people which was really the only reason he purposely did it. "Liam, I like you. You're a good kid. I've let you get a lot with a lot of shit through the years, but if I let you get away with this, i'm going to have to do something pretty damn drastic to make the others fear me the same way. They're expecting you to show up half dead tomorrow and i'm not going to let you slide by without a fucking scratch like i've let you in the past. You're my best driver, but i'm willing to put you out for a few weeks so you can learn your fucking lesson. I don't care if that god damned kid makes food for whatever fucking God there is, you WILL learn to follow orders. Or perhaps instead of you, he'll pay the price. Understood? You won't get hurt... but he will."

The boy finally turned his head to look at Liam and grinned seeing the fear in his eyes, his eyes wide and his mouth somewhat open. He seemed frozen and lost for words. It was obvious that Liam now understood exactly what Jared meant. He hadn't really gotten what Jared had been hinting at... but now he understood. This Mattie kid was turning out to be a much better way to make Liam listen than beating the shit out of him. Liam actually cared about what happened to Mattie. Soo... if he threatened Mattie, then Liam would behave. Ahh! Finally! A way to make that little fucker listen. No more faked excuses of his car not working like he been making when he was lazy. What a great fuzzy and warm feeling he was getting. Liam under his control? It was about damn time. It had only taken... god, years. Fuck that!

"We'll see after dinner though." he said, his voice frighteningly cheery as he leaned back against the couch happily. Most of his little kids knew that when he went from dangerous to happy... he had something on his mind and he knew exactly what he was going to be doing. It usually meant bad news for those involved. "If dinner is decent enough I might have a way the kid can work off your dept. We'll see though. And before you ask questions, shut the fuck up. I don't want your shit right now." Jared ruffled his own hair with a smirk before he adjusted himself on the couch, his feet folding on top of the table by the ankle, a small and dangerous smile playing on his lips.

Ah, the food was finally started to smell meaning the kid was making the burgers. Well shit. They smelled good, that was for damn sure. Uuugh! If the food was good enough, IF, then perhaps he would have a way that the Mattie could be useful. There was no way he was going to let this kid NOT get involved, especially if he could cook. The last chef they had he had to ... ahem. Take care of. Bad chicken had nearly killed two of his guys so the chef took the beating and had died from it. So... the base was filled mostly with junk food and shit someone could just grab. Not the healthiest and defiantly not the kind of shit he wanted his gang eating. Having a private cook would be a good thing... and he wouldn't have to be involved in the violet shit. For once... Jared had to silently agree with Liam. The blond kid looked like he would pass out if he ever saw blood.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had made a face at Jared when he had called him a fucking idiot. The boy was about to reply, but then he was hit in the head roughly. OW! What the hell was that for? Moving both hands to his head, he had grunted in pain. "Sheesh! What was that-Oh his full name. His name is Mathieu, but I don't know his last name. I never aske-Okay, okay sorry." Liam grunted as the male yelled at him once more. Ugh today was not his day for sure. Liam just wanted to relax and eat his hamburger, but instead he was getting yelled at by his angry bipolar boss. Liam had pulled from his thoughts when Jared had put the gun on the coffee table. His red eyes gazed up at the male as he started to talk to him in that calm voice of his. How could his voice go from angry to calm so quick? Maybe he was fucking bipolar or something.

Liam listened to what the male said, and he sighed mentally. Jared was right…; he did let him slide with a lot of things over the years. The red haired boy had raised a brow however when the other said he was going to put him out for a couple of weeks to learn his lesson. UGH! That meant no money! Thank god he had a lot of money saved up otherwise he wouldn't be able to pay his bills. Ugh, out for a couple of weeks? That sucked ass, but then again…he was actually very…VERY lucky that Jared was letting him kind of slide with this. If…that was all Jared was planning that was. Liam pulled away from his thoughts when he had heard the last thing that Jared had said. His eyes widened in fear when the man had said Mattie would pay if he didn't listen to Jared. "Alright…, I'll follow the orders.. " Liam said as he glanced to the floor.

The male did not want to get Mattie involved into anything of this and if that meant he had to do whatever Jared says to keep the boy safe, then he would do it. Liam sighed heavily as he moved a hand into his hair before glancing to the side. He could smell the hamburgers…and they smelled really good. Liam could not wait to get off of his couch and go eat until he couldn't eat anymore! Liam was just about to get off of the couch, but Jared's words stopped him from doing so. His eyes instantly darted to the man as he continued to speak. Have a way for Mattie to pay off his debt? Liam was about to ask questions, but Jared stopped him. UGH. "Fine. Whatever you say. " Liam said with a scoff as he had then gotten off of the couch. " I'm going to see if he needs help you can come if you want." With that said, he had stormed down the hallway and into the kitchen. "Sorry about that. Do you need any help? "

**(Gonna cut it here. It is already pretty long. ANYWAYS! PLEASE REVIEW. :'D)**


	6. Mr New Chef

_SIXTH CHAPTER! WHOO HOO! ;D_

_**(Sorry this is updated late! I totally forgot about it till 11:30pm. LOL )**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu hummed gently and smiled as he flipped the last of the burgers over. He had cut everything already and the French fries were made and salted! Before cooking the burgers, he had lied out the three plates as well as the plates will the lettuce and onions and so on out with the mustard and mayonnaise and ketchup on the table, three spots available. The second he had got the chance he hid Kumajiro away and out of sight so the guest wouldn't see the bear, even if he did feel bad about it. Just as he flipped the second burger onto the bun, in came Liam followed shortly by the other male. "I just finished, actually. Go ahead and sit down." he replied shyly with a smile. The male turned back to the stove and put the third burger onto the bun and set his plate down. Picking the other two up, he carried it over and set it in front of the males, French fries already on the plates. "If there's anything you want missing from the table, just let me know. Do you want anything to drink?" he asked looking from the boy to Liam slowly.

The boy smiled at the other as Liam said a soda would be fine and Jared was fine without. He nodded and went over to the fridge and grabbed the soda for Liam and one for himself then set it down next to the right plate and in the empty spot. While Jared and Liam made their burgers, he went back to the stove and made sure everything was off before he returned to the table and sat. Matthieu patiently waited for the other two to finish making their own burgers - he thought it would be best this way since he wasn't sure what either of them liked and he didn't want to impose on their conversation to ask - would be the best way to go. The male quickly made his own and peered carefully at the blue eyed boy.

Who was he? He looked very nice. The boy flushed and sat up straight as he looked at him and asked for his name, his burger made but untouched on his plate. "M-my name? It's Matthieu Williams." he replied, cursing himself inside for stuttering as he had. There was no reason to be afraid of this man... or was there? He looked so pleasant! But.. if the atmosphere outside said anything.. then Matthieu had to be careful. Liam seemed very uncomfortable and jumpy at the other man's presence and questions. He squirmed lightly as the man, who introduced himself as Jared, said to tell him about... himself? Waah! He hated hated hated that question! He looked at Liam as if asking for help... but only receiving a look back. The look said everything. Liam was just as uncomfortable as he was but said nothing. Who WAS this guy?

"W-well.. i'm a Junior in High School. I... uh, I really like to draw. Art is what i'm good at... I.." he squirmed uncomfortably and stared down at his burger, using this time to take a French fry and eat it, thankful for the fact that eating and chewing was an excuse for him to think. "I lived in a France for some of my life... i'm, uh, French. Obviously." he gave a nervous laugh and poked at his burger. He glanced up lightly and noticed that Jared had taken a bite but showed no reaction to whether he liked it or hated it. Liam seemed to uncomfortable and uptight to be enjoying the food. Matthieu hoped he did though. "I moved here when I was around... five?" He looked back down before pausing to take a bite from his burger. Jared took this time to ask him more questions. Whether he was interested or pretending... Matthieu could feel himself relax a bit and start to calm down. Jared seemed very nice and rather easy to talk to!

"No, I didn't live in Paris, but I traveled there before." he said with a small smile. 'I lived in the country side near Italy, actually. It was very pretty there..." He zoned out for a moment before shaking his head and eating another french fry softly. Again, Jared took this as a reason to question him. Matthieu looked up from his burger and at Jared. The boys blue eyes seemed genuinely curious... so why not answer? "I-I'm not really into American music, actually. I find most of it to lack a lot of taste. I listen to mostly French much... o-or English music... I mean British music, not music in English. L-like The Beatles, i mean..." he stopped and blushed lightly, taking a larger bite from his burger as to be silent longer.

Matthieu noted that he was half way done with his own burger when Jared asked for a second one for the road. Oh! So he did like them! "Of course!" he said, not hesitating to jump up and run back to the stove. Jared, as Liam had done, seemed surprised he hadn't waited to finish his own food and commented instantly. "Oh no no!" he said as he used his spatula to drop another burger onto the now hot pan on the stove. "I don't mind at all." he added cheerfully with a smile before focusing back on the burger.

_(Liam's POV)_

"Ahh, I see. Alrighty then. " Liam nodded as he walked over to the table to sit down in a chair. He kind of felt bad that he wasn't in here to help the other make the food. Well, cut vegetables up that was. Liam had allowed his eyes to land on Mattie when the boy had put a plate in front of him with a burger on it and fries. Damn it smelled really good! Grabbing the ketchup, he started to pour some on the bun. "Just get me a soda, thanks." Liam nodded as he had set the ketchup back on the table and reached for the mustard. The male was just about to pour some onto the bun when a soda was handed to him. "Thanks. " Liam nodded as he had then grabbed some lettuce, tomatoes and onions for his burger.

Once the male had finished making his burger Jared had asked Mattie for his name. His eyes shot up the man who simply ignored him and kept his attention on Mattie. The poor boy looked so uncomfortable by the question. When the other asked Mathieu to tell him more about himself, he has blinked. His eyes instantly shot over at Mattie when the boy looked at him for help. Liam just frowned not knowing what to tell the other. Ugh, he should have known that Jared was going to bomb Mattie with questions.

Liam took a big bite out of his burger as he watched uncomfortably as Jared continued to attack Mattie with questions. Mattie seemed really…nervous, but he seemed to get a little bit comfortable by each question as it went on. Sheesh why did Jared want to know so much about him? What was the point in knowing these things about Mattie? Either he was trying to start a conversation 'pffft' or …he was up to something. Either way he just did not like it. Liam snapped out of his thoughts when Jared asked if he could have a burger for the road. YES! Hopefully he was leaving. However when Mattie got up, he had spoken.

You don't have to stop eating-alright then.." The male said as Mattie insisted on making a burger right away for Jared. Finishing his burger, he leaned back in his chair as he grabbed a fry and nommed on it. Looking at Jared, he had spoken. "Leaving so soon?"

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared really did feel like wringing that bastard's neck. All those years of kindness made Liam cocky, thinking he could say anything and get away with it. His next slip up would be one hell of a beating and Jared was excited for it. Instead of commenting to him he grunted and followed Liam into the kitchen where Mattie was cooking. He looked like such a girl... maybe he would buy the blond haired boy a pink apron or something to cook in. He grinned to himself before dropping into a chair and leaning back as a plate was set in front of him. "Nothing for me." he said boredly as he fixed the burger and leaned back once more in his seat.

It was then that he noticed Mattie was staring at him. He looked up and smirked seeing the male looking down. "So, what's your name, kid?" he asked, his arms crossing over his chest as he ignored the burger in front of him. He actually wanted to know SOMETHING about the kid before he ate whatever was put in front of him. After all, he... didn't know this kid. The story and Liam's absence could easily be a lie. Years of assassin attempts had made the old man suspicious of everyone... even the cuties. He nodded lightly as the other replied and answered with his name. He was MUCH more obedient and easier to talk to compared to damn Liam. "My name is Jared." he replied politely. He could tell little Matthieu was uncomfortable... it was most amusing.

"Tell me about yourself, kid." he said and picked up one of the French fries, He examined it while the kid stuttered trying to answer and ate it finally as he spoke. FUCK. This brat was young! He was about Cole's age but looked way damn younger... and more innocent than his idiot roommate. The boy turned his attention and looked back at the boy as he said he was French? Fuck! A little foreigner? How cute! It was a bit disappointing that he didn't have the accent though. Ah, sad. Jared finally picked up the burger and took a small bite. Oh... fuck. That was awesome. It tasted like... that best damn thing he had eaten in a VERY long time. He didn't let it play on his face and merely made a humming sound. "So are you from Paris then?" he asked thoughtfully as Mattie took a bite from his burger. Jared smirked lightly and ate some French fries as the boy spoke. A country kid, eh? What a shitty transition. A country like that coming to this shit hole?

Jared thought for a moment and looked at the male as he ate another french frie, done on the subject. "What kind of music are you into, little Matthieu?" he asked and watched the male. The boy grinned and listened as he stuttered over his words and blushed as he mixed them up. The Beatles, eh? That was interesting. The male pushed some hair from his face and finished his burger. Hm. He might as well be a good person and since he wouldn't be eating dinner, he might as well take some for Cole. Otherwise he'd be getting bitched at. Fuck that shit. "Hey, little Mattie. Mind making a burger for the road, hm?" he asked. Before he could speak, Matthieu was up and running to make him one. "I didn't mean now." he said and blinked lightly. He shrugged as the other shrugged it off. He started to eat his fries and smirked at Liam as he spoke.

"Don't count on it." he said, going out of his way to be pleasantly happy.

To Liam's horror, Jared ended up staying for quite a few hours. Liam was never far, but always out of the way. He helped Matthieu clean the kitchen then they went into the living room and Matthieu showed him a few of his drawings. He was indeed a talented kid. Liam was unhappy, but Matthieu was now comfortable around him. LONG after night fall and he could tell that Matthieu was getting tired, he shoo'd the boy into the other room and finally stood, stretching. "Cute kid there, Liam." he said with a yawn. The male grabbed his gun and pocketed it before grinning at Liam. "I've figured out part one to your punishment." he said as he headed toward the door. Jared pulled the front door opened and turned, letting the cold air into the house. "It's your job to explain to little Mattie why he has to be at the base tomorrow night after school to cook for the gang. I expect him to show up understanding what's expected of him. He is, of course, under my full protection so no harm will come to him... but I expect that he will know what to be... expecting." The male laughed loudly before heading out the door slamming the door behind him.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Jared was sooo coool! Matthieu had, at first, been very uncomfortable around the boy but the more that he talked to Jared and got to know him... it was awesome! He had never had one friend before let alone two. First Liam... and now Jared? He didn't know anything about Jared, every time he had asked something the male had switched the subject, but Jared had been very nice about helping clean up and had taken a huge interest in his art. Liam was always close and always eying Jared with... he couldn't quite put his finger on the emotion. Loathing? Jealousy? Guh, he didn't know. Every time he went to ask Liam was what wrong, he was tugged the other way with a question or comment from Jared. It was fun, but after a while he got tired. Jared caught on quickly and told him to go off to bed and that he had to talk to Liam.

Matthieu wished Jared a good night before smiling at Liam and going off to the bedroom. He squirmed and thought for a moment before locking the door. He darted over to his dresser and quickly changed into his pajama's, these ones blue and as usual far to big, and went back over and unlocked the door. Good. He was quick enough and Liam was still talking to Jared. The male took a deep breath before moving around the room and finding Kumajiro and pulling him from his hiding place, in the back of his section of the closet. He was safe there at least. The male hugged his bear with a smile and went back to the bed. He sighed and dropped onto it tiredly before laying on top of the bed. He curled into a ball and hugged his bear with a smile. He sat there for a bit before sitting up and moving against the bed frame and started to play with Kumajiro's bow gently, fixing it and messing with it waiting for Liam. Why was he waiting? Ah well. He really just wanted to find out if the boy was okay... he seemed to distracted the entire night and he wanted to make sure that Liam was okay!

_(Liam's POV)_

After eating dinner Jared stayed a couple hours longer just talking Mattie's ear off and just trying to get to know him better in a way. Liam made sure to stay around the two at all times, but he did not say much to be honest. The man was just too consumed in his thoughts to pay attention to what their conversations were about. Liam was afraid that Jared would get Mattie involved in the gang and even though he had promised Mattie that would never happen…it might be a promise he would have to painfully break. Liam was sitting on the couch as he noticed Mattie getting kind of tired. Poor boy had been talked to death and looked like he could fall asleep anytime now. When Jared shooed him to go to bed, he let his red eyes gaze up at Jared when spoken to him. " Mhm." Was all Liam said with a nod as he watched Jared grab his gun and put it away. So, he was finally leaving? About time.

When the male mentioned that he had figured out his punishment, he had felt a lump form in his throat. He hoped it was a beating and not involving Mattie. However…to his demise it did involve Mattie. He forced a frown to go away as Jared explained further that the boy was going to be their new chef. Oh, thank god he was not making him do any of the violent stuff! Well, he still did not like that Mattie was involved, but this was much better than what he had expected. However…he did not like the fact that he had to explain all of this to Mattie. Sighing mentally, he stood from the couch and watched as Jared headed towards the door. "Right…, I'll let him know. Just call me tomorrow and tell me what time to be over, ok? " Liam said as the man had then left and slammed the door shut. Ugh. Walking over to the door, he had locked it.

Making his way down the hallway, he had made his way into the bedroom only to see a still awake Mattie. "Why are you awake? " Liam asked the boy as he shut the door and locked it behind him. Walking over to the closet, he shut the door and turned on the light as he changed into a pair of white pajama pants and a black shirt. Turning off the light, he opened the closet door and headed over to the bed to sit down. "Well, in a way I am glad you are awake. Jared, the guy you just met…is my boss. He came over to give me my punishment for avoiding him. After you left to head in here…he told me what it would be. " Liam said with a deep sigh as he frowned at Mattie. "He…wants you to be the chef at the base. He promised no harm would come your way. So tomorrow night he wants you to make dinner. Some of the people there can be…a bit on the jerk side, but most are alright. I'm sorry…I dragged you into this…Mattie… " Liam said as he allowed his red eyes to gaze in his lap. Mattie was probably going to be mad at him even if he wasn't good at showing it. Ugh fuck his life.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu hugged Kumajiro against his chest gently and let out a small yawn. He was slowly zoning out and falling asleep when the door close. He snapped away and smiled brightly as Liam came in. "Of course." he said happily as the other went into the closet and closed the door? What the heck was he doing? He blinked at the door and then understood when Liam came out. He had changed in there. That was an awful tiny space to change, wasn't it? He blinked again and straightened as Liam came over and sat down onto the bed. Matthieu adjusted his body so that he was sitting on his legs and looking at Liam's back. When the boy spoke... his felt his heart pace quicken. His boss? That was the leader of the gang? But... but he was so nice! Matthieu really like Jared... but Jared... he... What? It just didn't make any sense!

As Liam spoke the boy felt his eyes widen more... and more. His heart felt like itw was going to pop out of his chest. Could Liam hear it? Surely he could. It was... so loud! "B-boss?" he choked out, looking down as Liam looked at him and continued. He fumbled nervously and stared at his hands as Liam spoke. Jared wanted him to cook? For a gang? He had to be around a bunch of people with guns and... well... people who hurt others for a living? The idea made him think of his father. Matthieu shuttered and looked up slowly at Liam. He could tell the other felt terrible. Liam didn't usually look down like that... he was always so bold. Matthieu hesitated for a moment before crawling over to where Liam was. He moved his legs so that he was sitting on the bed close to the other boy and gave him a weak smile. "You didn't drag me into it, Liam." he reassured the boy shyly. "I mean... i'm not going to lie and say i'm happy about this... but... if this keeps you out of trouble then I don't mind." He forced himself not to look down and to sit still and only smiled lightly. "Me cooking for everyone will keep you safe, right?"

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam's eyes remained on his lap as the boy had stuttered out his words. God damn he hated the fact that he got Mattie involved in all of this. Liam just wanted to protect the other and keep him away from the gang, but that didn't work in the way he wanted it to. Now Jared knows about Mattie and he was now to work as the base's chef? He didn't like this at all. Liam pulled away from his thoughts when there was a shift on the bed. Raising his eyes up, he had noticed Mattie quite close to him. " But…Mattie, I did drag you into it. Maybe not literally, but in a sense I did." Liam said with a frown as Mattie gave him a weak smile as he continued to talk. " Are you…sure? Also, yes it will keep you and me both out of trouble. I will have to inform the others not to talk about the missions and stuff for you sake. It is the least I can do in a way."

The man said with a nod and without thinking he had found himself embracing Mattie close to him. He didn't know why he had did it, but he did. It was weird to be close to someone, but it didn't feel too bad. Liam just didn't want anything to happen to Mattie, and he hated himself for getting the other involved in the gang like this after he had just gotten away from a horrible home. It was strange to him on how badly he wanted to protect the boy since he never really cared about anyone by himself beforehand. Liam pushed the thoughts away from him before pulling away slowly from Mattie. "I am sorry for everything… " Liam apologized with the frown still remaining on his lips.

_(Mattie's POV)_

"There's no need for that, Liam. I can-" Matthieu stopped in mid sentence and turned a brilliant shade of red as he was hugged. Waah! Why was he being hugged? The male wiggled lightly and whined as he was still hugged. It felt... nice but at the same time it was so strange! Why was Liam hugging him? What had he said that had got him a hug? When the other pulled back he kept his head down, his face not changing back to his normal color. He would have spoke... but Liam spoke. "You don't have anything to apologize for!" he repeated, his head looking up, a stubborn look on his red face. "I really don't mind, Liam! After all... I mean..." He stopped and looked back down, his face going a deeper shade of red. "It's the least I could do after you've taken me in... a-and you've helped me a lot... so this way I can at least repay you a little by helping keep you safe."

Matthieu wiggled uncomfortably and pushed his glasses up. He opened his mouth to say something else, but instead of words a loud, long yawn escaped. Shit! He was tired. He smiled weakly and looked back to Liam. "I guess we should sleep. Tomorrow is Friday and I have that French exam. Souhaitez moi bonne chance?" The red disappeared from his face and he grinned at his confused friend. "I asked you to wish me luck." he said with a small giggle. Matthieu pulled away from the other, then noticing that Liam was quite warm, and crawled over to his side of the bed. He wiggled under the blankets happily and hugged Kumajiro against his chest with a small smile.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had stared down at the blushing boy, but after his previous comment Mattie had stared up at him. When the boy had told him he had nothing to apologize for it had caused him to blink. Maybe in Mattie's eyes he had nothing to apologize for, but in his own eyes he felt like he had to. Liam was just about to say something, but Mattie had cut him off by blushing and saying that it was the least he could do for him taking Mattie in. Maybe so…, but he took Mattie in because he wanted to. Mattie probably didn't want to cook for the others…and yet he was going to do so because in a way he had to for both of their safety.

Liam blinked a little when the other went to speak, but had let out a cute yawn instead. Snickering, he moved a hand to ruffle the boy's head. " Yeah, I guess so. I'm pretty tired too-What did you just say?" Liam asked with a raised brow when the other spoke in some language. Obviously French. When the boy explained what he had said, he snickered. "Ahh, I see. In that case, I wish you luck. " The red haired male said with a smirk before lying down onto the bed. He watched as Mattie moved closer to him, but he didn't say anything of it, and allowed the other to be close to him. " Goodnight Mattie." Liam said with a small smile before allowing his eyes to close. Well…hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

**(With Jared and Cole~)**

_(Jared's POV)_

After leaving Liam's apartment with a nice feeling of self satisfaction, Jared gave a rough kick to Liam's piece of shit car a second time before getting into his own car and taking off toward his house. Unlike most of his gang, fuck all of his gang, he lived in a damn nice house on the good side of the city. Which, even at his driving speed, still took around twenty minutes. Fucking Liam. He was working for free for a damn week and that money was paying Jared's fucking gas bills. After a while the male turned into a large, fancy neighborhood, full of big houses and oh so happy fucking families, and went all the way down the road to the last house on the left. A large two story house fenced off and looking completely normal. The perfect disguise. Jared pulled his car silently into the overly sized lot and got out. He locked it with a small beep and headed into the house.

The first thing he heard upon entering the home was a guitar. Cole. "Hey, kid!" he yelled as he went into the living room after locking the front door. "Stop being a fucking girl and come downstairs. I brought you dinner." God, that fucking boy was insane. Cole was, for a better word, a n00b. He had only recently joined the gang after leaving home and lacked a place to stay. Jared had offered and Cole had stupidly accepted. Lucky for him, the kid was a quick learner. He figured out Jared's looks and glares within the first month. He figured out when it was okay to mess with him and when to back the FUCK off. The kids intelligence saved him so many beatings. The first month had been hell for him but now there was less and less beatings... fuck... when was the last time he had hit the kid? The others who were a part of the gang stared at Cole like he was insane to be living with him, but that was because some of them had tried to live with Jared and they all failed because they hadn't been able to read him as well as Cole managed to. HOW Cole figured it out was beyond even Jared's understandings. Sometimes Cole knew that Jared was angry before Jared knew he was angry. He was a fucking crazy boy that was for sure. "If your fat ass isn't down here in ten seconds i'm eating it!" he shouted louder. Jared dropped the bag which Mattie had wrapped for him onto the table before he dropped down onto the couch. So much more comfortable than Liam's clumpy assed thing. Jared stretched out tiredly and pulled his gun from his pocket and dropped it onto the counter before picking up the remote and clicking the television on.

_(Cole's POV) _

Cole was sitting in his 'room' with his back against the wall below the huge window with white drapes as he played his guitar. Cole had gotten home from school earlier, did his annoying homework and went upstairs to play his guitar. It had been hours, and Jared wasn't home. Who knew where was nowadays, but he had a very high feeling that he was at Liam's house. Jared seemed grumpier than usual due to the fact Liam hadn't come in for work. Oh well it wasn't his problem. The boy was fairly tall for his age and had spiky light blue hair with a few strands of hair brushing against his forehead. His hair color of course was dyed ever since he left home. It was naturally brown, but brown was such a boring color. His eyes were a light shade of blue as well. It almost matched the color of his hair, but not by much.

He had multiple piercings along each ear, and he even had his lip pierced on the right side which had a small chain that connected to one of his earrings. For clothes he wore a pair of green and black plaid skinny jeans with black platforms. His shirt was a white tank top which was ripped in some areas. Cole closed his eyes as he continued to play his guitar. It was funny how he was living with the leader of the so called gang he was in. Other members had offered for him to stay at their place instead out of fear for him, but he declined. What better way to be successful in the gang then by living with the leader himself? He surely did learn a lot of things. Jared isn't even that bad to be around either as everyone made him out to be. Of course he got the occasional whackings to the head and scoldings, but he didn't mind. He was only staying with Jared until he saved enough money for an apartment.

Cole had just rested his leg over the other when he heard something calling to him. Of course it was the oh so grumpy Jared. Stop being a fucking girl?-Wait brought him dinner? Cole was starving, so he stopped playing his guitar and had set it on the bed before heading out of the room. Making his way downstairs, he had heard Jared's words. "I'm coming! Don't eat my food! Also! Playing the guitar is not girly! " Cole whined as he entered the living room.

Spotting the bag onto the table in front of Jared, he had headed over to the table and grabbed the bag. Walking to the other side of Jared, he had plopped down onto the couch next to the boy. Opening the bag, he had grabbed the burger from it. "A burger? How kind of you. " Cole said in a teasing voice before taking a bite out of it. It was kind of cold, but delicious! " Where the hell did you get this? It is pretty good. Also, where did you run off to? Liam's place? Cole asked with a smirk forming on his lips. "Actually before you answer let me guess…you took it out on his car? No! Wait, beat him up? I want to know all of the juicy details while I nom on this burger. " Cole said with a nod of his head.

_(Jared's POV)_

"Playing the guitar is fucking girly!" he snapped as the male can running down screaming not to eat his food. When it came to Cole and food... one could loose a hand if it got into the wrong place. He stretched as the other plopped down and grabbed the burger. "It's not like a made it." he snapped and rolled his eyes as Cole started to ask him questions. "I thought I taught you to mind your own business when it came to business, eh? You nosy little brat! I tell you enough shit you shouldn't know... go get me a beer and i'll tell you." He smirked and rubbed his shoulder with one hand. Fuck. He needed a damn back massage pretty damn bad. His shoulders were acting up. When Cole came back with his beer the man opened it and took a long, slow drink from it just to torture him. "That burger you're eating, by the way, was made by the new Gang's Chef." he said, purposely avoiding talking about Liam since it would kill the kid not knowing. This would be more interesting for him to know anyways. "You heard about the kid living with Liam? I forget how old the little fucker is, but god damn the kid can cook. That burger tasted a lot damn better when it was fresh, but god, he's one fucking hell of a cook." Jared smirked to himself and took another long drink from his beer. After a moment he leaned forward and set it down. "As for Liam's punishment... well... the idiot cares about the kid. I'm pretty sure more than just a friend, if you know what I mean." he grinned before leaning back. "The fucking kid is as innocent as a five year old, and he even looks like one. More like a girl... actually." Jared sneered and pushed some hair from his face. "Liam's punishment is the kid working for the gang. You shoulda seen his face. He was so fucking scared." Jared smirked evilly and shook his head. "Idiot should know better. This'll teach him a little lesson."

_(Cole's POV)_

" No it is not girly. Now, if I played the flute however…then that comment would be better suited for it." Cole said with a roll of his light blue eyes as he continued to eat the burger. The boy had raised an eyebrow at Jared's next comment. "Pft, you can't make a burger this good let alone a burger. No offense that is. I can't cook either… " The boy said with a small sigh, but had stopped when the other scolded him for being nosy. " I'm not being nosy! I'm just curious-a beer? You lazy bum." Cole said with roll of his eyes as he got off of the couch and made his way into the kitchen. Taking a big bite out of the burger, he had moved a hand to open the fridge door. Grabbing one of the bottles, he shut the fridge door with his left foot before entering the living room once more. "Here you go your highness. " Cole smirked and handed Jared the beer before making a face. "You look like you are in some kind of pain. " The boy pointed out before ending up choking on his burger due to Jared's next reply. "G-GAH! …CHE-AH! I'M CHOKING! " The boy lowered the burger in his hand as he continued on coughing.

It took him a while to finally stop choking, and when he did, he grunted "So…Liam's little buddy is going to be our new chef? Nice! About time we get some real food! " He grinned before plopping back down onto the couch. " I bet it did…hehe. You should have taken me there, but then again it is still food and good cold or not." Cole said with a smirk as he finished the rest of the burger. " Thanks for the food." The light blue haired boy said with a nod. "Ooh? So the kid means a lot more to him? That's funny. Last time I checked Liam didn't give two shits about anyone. " Cole said with a laugh as he removed his shoes and had placed them onto the floor. "So you are going to use this kid in a way to control Liam? Why aren't you clever." The spiky haired boy said as he allowed his eyes to look at Jared.

Cole stretched his arms out as he lied down onto his side against the couch comfortably. "Who would of thought that Liam out of all people found himself a certain someone who is the complete opposite of him. He is handsome I will admit, but his personality sucks at times." The boy said as he shifted on the couch so he was hanging upside down with his legs hanging on the couch.

_(Jared's POV)_

"The flute's more manly than a guitar." he scoffed before popping his neck. The male took another long drink from the beer and scowled at Cole. "I cook better than you, you ungrateful little shit head! The last time you made eggs I had to replace my stove!" he snapped, but relaxed and smirked as the other started to choke. He ignored it and continued as if he weren't. "My back and neck are acting up again. Nothing big, though i'll be a tough week for the gang if it doesn't go away." Usually, when Jared was in pain he made sure that the others felt it took. His neck hurt, their necks hurt. He made that damn sure.

Jared stretched out tiredly and chugged down the rest of his beer and dropped it noisily down onto the table as Cole ranted. "You don't have position to be going to Liam's house. Remember that." he snapped before continuing. "Liam's a bit weird like that, he always has been." The boy shrugged lazily and dropped the remote onto the table, settling on letting the noise from the news fill the silence between the two. He smirked as the other called him clever, but only shrugged in a response.

"Being a complete opposite is a total understatement." he said with a sigh and shook his head. "This kid is something else. Liam is handsome, sure... but this BOY he found verges on the brim of being pretty." He stopped and snickered at the look on the others face. "You'll see tomorrow. Now get upstairs and do something useful, kid. OH! Speaking of which! If you don't bring your fucking grade up in your damn English class, i'll beat the shit out of you so hard that you'll wish you lived somewhere else." he threatened, making sure the look in his eyes said he was damn fucking serious. "Now that I think of it... I haven't got a phone call about you ditching that class in a few weeks... what the fuck?" he asked and sent the male a look. He knew Cole... and Cole HATED school. Jared didn't give a shit so long as the boy passed... but he had been going to English lately and was still failing with a D. Moron.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had glanced over at the male when he said a flute is manlier than a guitar. " …HOW that is possible I don't know." Cole said as he made a face at the brown haired man. How the hell was a flute manlier than a guitar? It did not matter to him if playing the guitar made him manly, or not…, but eh. Hearing the comment about the egg incident, he had furrowed his brows. H-Hey! That was my first time cooking! Plus you are older, so you can cook some things… " The boy whined lightly.

Cole yawned however when Jared had told him that his neck was acting up again. "So get a massage from one of those professionals or something. I am sure you have the money for it. I would offer to give you one, but I would have to charge." Cole said in a joking kind of way. Hopefully the pain in Jared's neck would go away because even if Jared kind of acted differently around him compared to others, he was sure the male he be somewhat harsher towards him.

"Whatever you say boss." The boy replied as he rolled off of the couch randomly. He couldn't get comfy for some damn reason. Sitting up, he had moved a hand to fool with his chain connected to his lip ring. "If what you say is true then maybe this kid is just a pretty good looking tranny?" The younger boy said with as he had made a face, but soon after the other told him that he will see the boy tomorrow. Standing up slowly, he had looked at male with a raised brow. Calm down, I'll bring the grade up. I don't know why it matters if I got good grades to you. " Cole said with a roll of his eyes. " I haven't been skipping because I have to work on some English presentation with my partner." The boy said as he started to walk off. "Well if you don't mind me, I'm going to go play my 'girly' guitar and smoke a cigarette before my tummy starts to hurt."

(Jared's POV)

"OLDER?" he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "That's not a reason for not knowing how to make eggs, idiot." The male rubbed his eyes tiredly and growled as the other spoke. "Charge? Don't be stupid right now." If anything, Cole should be taking a pay cut as rent. He had done that with all of the past people who lived with him, but not Cole. Why? Bah. If he kept acting like a bitch he would have to start charging him rent. Maybe he would start to act like an actual fucking adult instead of a kid. Jared ignored the tranny part and sent the other an nasty glare as he spoke. His neck was causing the playfulness from earlier to disappear completely. Tummy? Seriously? "Stop with the fucking kid words, Cole. You're an adult, not a five year old." he spat. "Go get me another beer then get your ass upstairs." he snapped as he spread out onto the couch. He did have to admit it was nice having someone living with him. Especially someone who was afraid of him.. hehee. He didn't have to do anything but walk by himself.

**END OF CHAPTER~ REVIEW! COMMENT! :D SOMETHING PEOPLE~!**


	7. Mattie's Bad Day

_SEVENTH CHAPTER! Hur hur hur~_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

**-The next Day-**

_(Liam's POV)_

Well today he had started off waking up to the smell of pancakes. He could never get tired of pancakes that was for sure especially Mattie's pancakes. The two of them talked a little and he had gotten dressed before heading to his car. His somewhat…calm mood changed to a bitchier one when he noticed two dents in his car. He was PISSED! He wanted to strangle whoever did this to the car, but then it hit him…Jared. His boss probably did it out of anger. Ugh that man was so lucky he was his boss. Now, he would have to get it the fucking fixed. It was already bad enough he was working free this week without pay and he was running low on food too. So he had to get his car fixed and he and Mattie had to go to the store later this week. However they wouldn't be able to spend as much as they did last time.

Getting into the diver's side of the car, he slammed the door shut and turned the car on as he waited for Mattie to step inside. "Ugh, I just want to get this day over with. " Liam grunted out loud as he started to take off driving down the road. Later tonight he had to take Mattie to the base to cook for everyone. The man blinked when he heard his cell phone ringing. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he had placed it to his ear. "What-yes it is true he is going to cook for you guys. Uh huh. Hey, do me a fucking favor and make sure to tell everyone not to talk about the shit that goes on with the gang around the kid, ok? He doesn't like violence, so at-Stop your bitching and do it. Right, bye." Closing his cell phone, he pocketed it.

It didn't take long to get to the school, and when he did, his eyes darted over to Mattie. " Good luck on your presentation. I'm sure you will do well. " Liam said with a small smile towards the boy who had been mostly quiet during their ride here. When the male got out of the car, he waved the boy goodbye before taking off. Now…to fix his car.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole was swinging his black backpack around in his hand as he made his way into school. The boy was wearing white skinny legged jeans that had black stripes on them. He wore combat black boots and a white tank top with black scarf around his neck. It was such a fuzzy and pretty little scarf! Well today was the big presentation day! He didn't feel like doing it, but he pretty much gets to spend all day with his little crush. Hehe. Cole was just about to head down the hallway when he saw his partner walk through the school doors. "Mathieu! There you are dork!" Cole grinned widely as he made his way over to the other and stole his glasses. It was kind of a habit stealing the other's glasses hehe. Putting them on his face, he started to spin, but stopped and offered them back to Mathieu. " Aren't you excited? We get to spend all day together!"

Without waiting for a reply, he motioned the other to follow him towards their class. It was funny in a way that Mathieu was kind of scared of him. He didn't mean to make the other feel so uneasy around him, but his way of flirting…was picking on someone. Heh. Cole pulled out of his thoughts as he walked inside of the classroom and had plopped down into his desk.

_(Mattie's POV)_

In the end, Matthieu had decided to leave Kumajiro at home. After breakfast he set the bear on the bed and left him there. Liam didn't notice so he didn't have to deal with questions which was nice. The car ride over had been... awkward as well. Liam was in an obviously bad moo and the phone call he got wasn't helping it either. The male was silent and instead focused on staring outside. Once they got to the school the male stepped out of the car and grabbed his back. "Thank you." he said with a weak smile before heading to the school. Today was going to be miserable! He had to spend all day with a boy who did nothing but taunt and bother him and steal his things - poor Kumajiro was at home all by himself! - and had to present. At the end of the day. He felt his stomach turn unpleasantly at the idea. He hated talking in front of a group.. especially a group of people who hated him and... well, didn't even know who he was.

To his unpleasant surprise there was Cole... as if he had been waiting for him. The male looked down as the other ran over and stole his glasses. He stared at the blurry floor and took his glasses back quickly as they were offered to him. "Hi Cole... and yeah. Great." he muttered as he followed the other into the class room. This was going to be such a long day. After working with Cole all day, he would have to go with Liam to his gangs base and cook for everyone. It was somewhat of an over load so for now he choose to focus on just the fact that he was going to be miserable now... and later.

Matthieu sighed and set his bag onto the ground softly and sat down into his desk which was, depressingly, right next to Cole's. The boy pushed up his glasses tiredly and sighed. He wished he hadn't come to school today. He could always call Liam..., maybe... and stay home? No. He had to present. God, he felt sick. The boy turned his head down and stared at his desk with a frown as the woman, the teacher, came in just as the bell rang. She instantly started to ramble about rules and regulations of the day. They had until lunch to work on their presentations. The library was open but they HAD to stay on campus and so on. After lunch the presentations would be started 'randomly'. To hell! He and Cole would probably go first just because... well, she liked to see him squirm. Ugh. Why did he eat those pancakes for breakfast? He wasn't going to eat lunch. One for lack of money and two since he felt so damn sick. Matthieu sighed and didn't bother looking up as the class was dismissed and they were told to get to work. Almost right away everyone ran off. Not to be productive, that was for sure. "Should we go to the library?" he asked softly without looking up. He probably looked as bad as he felt... he just wanted to crawl back into bed with Kumajiro and sleep for a year.

_(Liam's POV)_

While Mattie was in school, he had gone off to get his car fixed. Liam was SO pissed by how much it cost to fix each dent, but it was worth it. The car was like his…child in a weird way. He had stopped by the store on the way to pick Mattie up so he could buy some eggs and small things he needed for the pancakes tomorrow. Also, he bought Mattie a snickers bar hehe. Once he paid for the items, he had walked out the store and headed into the parking lot. Unlocking and opening his car door, he stepped inside and set the bag in the passenger seat. Of course when he sat down his phone started to vibrate. "Again with the god damn vibrating!" Groaning, he grabbed his phone and noticed it was Jared calling. Gah. Putting the phone to his ear, he blinked. " Yeah, I have to pick him up from school first and drop off some food at the house. What time do you want us to come over?" The male blinked a little when Jared told him to come to the base in an hour and no later. " I'll be there unless I get in some random car accident." Liam said with a sigh. "Kay, bye." Turning off the phone, he drove out of the parking lot.

It only took about a couple of minutes to get to the school, and when he pulled into the parking lot, he had noticed a pale Mattie waiting for him. When the boy had opened the car door and stepped inside, he had raised a brow and moved the bag to his lap. " Are you alright? Did something happen? …, Or was it the presentation?" Liam asked the boy a whole bunch of questions before pulling out a snickers bar. "Here this is for you. I went to the store to buy some things we need and thought you might want this. Also, the boss called. He wants us to be around the base at four. So, we only have a small while to relax before we head off." Liam said with a sigh as he started to pull out of the parking lot.

_(Mattie's POV)_

As predicted.. a miserable day. Every time he and Cole started to work, Cole could get distracted by something stupid and stop them. It was so annoying! Not to mention the fact the boy kept taking his things and annoying him then entire four hours. They barely finished before lunch and, to his horror, Cole had decided to join him... and make fun of him for not eating and for fidgeting. After lunch, as predicted, they went first. He had been a shaking mess the entire time. But, luckily, Cole managed most of the talking. Apparently, even though he hadn't showed it, he HAD been paying attention to their research and gave every piece of information correctly. Matthieu muttered a few things to him once in a while, corrections mostly, and Cole always was the one to voice them to the class. Which was great for him... and not great. After everyone had presented they had been dismissed a few minutes early, but Matthieu was asked to stay and was then lectured for ten minutes about the importance of public speaking and doing his share of the work. HIS share of the work? Matthieu had done ALL of the work, Cole had just presented it! So he, of course, was put down a grade while Cole's grade was an A. Instead of arguing the boy only muttered and nodded and escaped as soon as he could.

So now he was waiting for Liam, pale and visibly shaking. The second that the car pulled up the male pulled the door open and dropped inside. When Liam spoke he only shook his head, knowing that if he spoke it would just be one big stuttery mess. He felt like he was near tears as it was... talking about it would make it worse. The male pulled from his self pity party and stared as he was offered a candy bar. He took it from the other with shaky hands and felt a small smile creep on his lips... which disappeared right as the other spoke. An hour? Oh shit! He still had to cook for everyone, didn't he? Looking down, he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably again. Matthieu said nothing and only looked down to the candy bar in his hand. "Thanks again for the candy." he said softly, his voice shaking lightly but most likely noticeable. He sighed softly before opening the candy bar and taking a bite, chewing slowly.

Matthieu finished the candy bar slowly, but still before they got back to the apartment. Liam had been driving more normally with him in the car lately, and he was so thankful for it. There was no more clinging for his life and being afraid while in the car with Liam. That was nice... but the ride had been silent. Liam had tried to start a conversation about the day, saying how he had gone shopping and got his car fixed, but fell silent when he realized that Matthieu wasn't up for conversation. Once they got to the apartment the boy grabbed his bag and helped Liam carry things in. Once inside, the male dropped his bag onto the floor uncaringly and made his way into the bed room. Without taking off his shoes or scarf or hat, the male went over to the bed and face planted on his pillow. He used one arm and hugged Kumajiro against his side and let out a groan. Cooking for people with guns tonight, French presentation tomorrow, and the weekend was still so far away!

_(Liam's POV)_

" No problem." The male said with a nod as the other thanked him for the candy after he had taken it. Ugh one fucking hour until he and Mattie had to go to the base. Hopefully everyone won't talk about any sort of violence around Mattie. Pulling loose from his thoughts, he happened to glance over at the small boy. "So, how was your da-" Liam stopped talking when he could tell by the expression on the boy's face that he wasn't in the good mood. Liam remained silent on the rest of the way back to the apartment with about forty minutes to spare. Well make that about twenty since it took a small while to get to the base.

Once inside Mattie had helped him to put the groceries away, but after that the boy had walked off down the hallway. Liam frowned, but went to get himself a glass of water since for some reason he was thirsty. Finishing the glass of water, he had set the glass in the sink. Walking out of the kitchen, he had made his way down the hallway towards his room. Seeing Mattie lying on the bed had caused him to frown a little. Walking inside the room, he had sat on the bed and crawled over to the blond haired boy. He looked so…down and he didn't like that.

Liam thought for a moment before hovering over the boy as he started to tickle the other's side lightly. He just wanted to see the other smile…or laugh! Anything that showed the boy was somewhat happy. "Mattie…stop being so gloomy! "Liam scoffed playfully as he continued to tickle the male and watch him squirm around. It looked like he was trying not to force himself not to laugh. " Hehe you can do it…, laugh!"

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu didn't move as he felt the bed shift. What did Liam want? Ah.. probably wanted to know what was wrong. He sighed into the pillow and before he could move... his side was being tickled! He squirmed away from the others touch as the he spoke then moved and tickled him again. WHY was he being tickled? "C-come on! S-stop th-" Matthieu squirmed further away from the boy before he finally lost it. He rolled over and let out a laugh, only laughing harder as Liam grinner and took advantage of it and tickling him more. "I-I'm happy! Smiling! No more gloom! I'm laug- laughing! See!" He laughed and tried to roll out of the others grip. After a moment Liam FINALLY stopped and he was left laying breathless. "Th-that was so ch- EEP!" Matthieu had gone to roll onto his stomach... and ended up right on the floor. "I'm okay!" he said and sat up quickly. He laughed a bit and crawled back up onto the bed with a smile. He was feeling a lot better now... thanks to Liam. He still did, however, feel a bit miserable.. but not as much.

Forty five minutes later... they were pulling into some large warehouse looking thing. This was the base? God, it was so frightening. He fumbled nervously with his sweater but looked back to Liam as he offered some words of encouragement. He offered a weak, nervous smiled but got out of the car silently as Liam did. He waited behind for Liam to get in front of him then, without even thinking, clung to the back of Liam's jacket and followed him inside.

_(Liam's POV)_

Well after his tickle-fest with Mattie they had to get ready and head over to the base. He really didn't want to go, but he could tell that Mattie was dreading it more than he was. Mattie didn't know anyone other than him and Jared. They were in his car and it was silent on the way over to the base. It only took a couple of minutes, but they arrived at the warehouse. Parking the car outside of the building, he noticed that all of the members were here due to the amount of cars. Sheesh! "Well, here we are. I know they won't hurt you, but I'd like it if you stayed close to me ok?" Liam told the boy before getting out of his car and walking around to the passenger side and waited for Mattie to get out. Pressing the button that was attacked to his key, he had locked the doors.

The warehouse looked kind of beat down on the outside and it was surrounded by trees, but on the inside it wasn't too bad. Jared kind of pimped it out in a way. Liam had pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Mattie cling to his jacket, but said nothing of it. The poor boy was probably scared for his life. Walking towards the base, he had opened the door and stepped inside. Of course once inside all eyes gazed at him, but only for a quick moment before darting over to Mattie. "Hello to all of you too." Liam said with a roll of his eyes as everyone started to chat right away. Some were really hungry and some were confused at the thought of the boy being their chef. Also for some reason Cole looked like he had saw a ghost, but before he could make a comment to the newbie Jared started to walk over. " I told you I would bring him." Liam said to the man before looking back at Mattie. " Its okay you can come out from behind me." Liam said as he nodded to the boy softly.

_(Jared's POV)_

"God fucking damn it, Cole! If you don't shut the fuck up i'm sending you outside in the fucking snow in your boxers!" he growled and threw an empty beer bottle at the kid, purposely aiming above his head so that he wouldn't hit him. Jared was currently at the base, his second home, sitting in his chair. There were multiple chairs and couches and beanie bag chairs spread around the room, but he was in HIS chair. The last person to even touch it without his permission was beat. If someone sat in it... they were dead. Or beat close to death. He rolled his eyes as Cole whined and merely took a long drink from his beer and tossed it behind his shoulder. Most of the gang was there, meaning around twenty people. A few had other things to do, gang related of course, so were absent. He had allowed it, of course. Jared growled at some of the kids laughing and rolled his eyes and leaned back. "Remember, boys. If anyo-"

Jared stopped and looked over as the door opened. Then in came in... Liam and Matthieu! About god damned time. The boy pushed himself up and grinned. "Of course you did." he said and walked over. He could have laughed seeing little Matthieu so afraid, but didn't. Instead he only smiled and pulled Matthieu gently away from Liam. "It's okay, Matthieu." he said gently as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The male straightened and looked around at the boys who all fell silent, staring at the blond boy confused. "Alright, everyone. This is our new chef, Matthieu. Now, you little fuckers, I know you love violence, but the first person, and everyone after, to mention anything about work to little Mattie answers to me personally. Especially if he's the one to come to me and let me know. The kid is under my personal protection, understood?" He stopped here and looked every single person in the eye, making sure they understood. Fuck... why was Cole so pale? Bah, whatever. "No one is to threaten him, bother him, make him uncomfortable, or ask him to do anything unreasonable. He, as of now, is a higher rank than all you bitches. After he cooks for you, you'll understand why." He laughed heartily and looked down at Matthieu. He seemed tense, but not as uncomfortable as when he had first been pulled away from Liam. "You'll be okay here, kid. They won't mess with you if they want to live." He laughed at the horror in Matthieu's face then turned his head and frowned as Cole spoke.

How did Cole know Matthieu? "Cole? Do you know Mattie?" he asked with a frown, some what confused. From what Jared knew, little Cole didn't have THAT many friends. All of them Jared knew about... how the fuck did he know Matthieu? The male glared coldly at Cole and removed his arm from Matthieu's shoulder as the young boy squirmed uncomfortably. What the fuck was going on? "You." he said, pointing to Cole. "Explain now."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had instantly went silent when Jared had threatened to shove him outside in nothing but his boxers. Fuck. It was too darn cold for that. The other was going to apologize, but a bottle came his way and barely missed his head. Ducking down, he had moved both hands to his head while others laughed. " H-Hey! Watch it! That could have caused some serious damage!" The boy cried out, but stopped before flopping down in a black beanbag chair. Ahh, so comfy. Cole happened to glance to the side when some guy bitched about sitting there first. "There are plenty more of them around! Plus if you wanted it so bad you shouldn't have moved from your spot." The spiky haired boy said with a smirk as the male grumbled and walked away. Hehe! Success!

Cole wiggled his butt comfortably in the beanbag, but before he could ask Jared something the doors to the base had been opened. He glanced to the side only to see Liam and a pair of legs behind him. About time Liam was here! He was starting to wonder if he would ever show up. His stomach was growling so badly even though he ate a lot at lunch at school. Cole had folded one leg over the other as he raised a brow at Liam while Jared made his way over to the two boys. However…when the smaller boy's face was revealed to the crowd his face instantly turned pale. Was he seeing things? That…kid…was Liam's buddy? He felt like he was going to pass out.

Cole rose from the beanbag slowly and had spoken out loud. "…Mathieu? " Cole asked as his light blue eyes widened. His partner at school…his 'crush' was the chef? How could someone like Liam…find someone like Mathieu? He was SO lost! Cole had slowly pulled out of his thoughts when Jared had moved his attention towards him. Cole looked up at the male with a blank stare as the other asked if he knew Mathieu. Cole nodded slowly as the other demanded for him to explain. " Well…I go to school with Mathieu. He is my English partner…for the project I told you about. " Cole said as he felt his eyes stare back at Mathieu who looked very uncomfortable to see him there. Even Liam was giving him a strange look while the other members started to stare at him.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Stay close? That was NOT something he had to be told twice. If he could help it, he would be nearly attached to Liam the entire time. Hopefully Liam could come and help him cook... it would relax him and help him not break anything... it would defiantly stop the shaking. Or help it stop. The male felt like dying when he entered the room. HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE THERE? he had never cooked for this many people before! How much food was he supposed to make? Damn it damn it damn it! He had never been this afraid in his life! His father had never even scared him this much. Matthieu clung tighter to Liam and looked at him as he said he could come out. He opened his mouth to decline but was tugged away from him.. by Jared. He squeaked and stared up at the male, his eyes wide. He stuttered lightly and nodded a bit as he said that it was okay. Matthieu kept his eyes on his feet as Jared wrapped an arm around his shoulders then started to speak. He could barely stop from shaking... but Jared words, though vulgar, relaxed him. If Liam listened to him then he was sure that the others would. He peaked up a bit and noticed that most of them had looks of pure hate... some just curious. He looked back up to Jared as the other spoke again... then there was another voice.

Matthieu looked up and blinked... Cole? He stared at the male and moved back to Liam's side slowly seeing Jared's attention averted. He moved his hands up and clung to Liam's arm lightly and blinked, confused, at Cole. Cole was... part of this gang? The same gang as Liam? What the hell? The male felt like hiding behind Liam as Cole explained how they knew each other.. but didn't move. He was to afraid... not only of Jared's angry face, but of the others. They all were staring... why couldn't he be invisible like he was at school? Liam didn't look happy either... why? He tore his eyes from Cole and looked up at Liam with a frown. Why did... Liam look mad?

Before he could register what was happening, Liam had tore his arm from his grip and went over to Cole angrily. He shouted something and grabbed the male by the collar and raised his fist to hit him. Jared didn't seem to be moving to do a thing so, without thinking, Matthieu ran over to Liam. "No!" he cried, catching Liam's arm in his own. He hugged it into his chest and looked up at Liam, his purple eyes wide. "I-I forgive him, Liam! Please don't hit Cole." he said frowning, not tearing away. For the moment... the rest of the people were all in the back of his mind. "It wasn't his fault how I was acting after school, really. I'm okay now. Please, please don't hit him!"

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had blinked at the brown haired male when he had spoken as he pulled Mattie away from him before introducing Mattie to everyone. Liam kept his eyes on the boy who looked extremely nervous, but people had shut up when Jared started to talk of course. Whoever spoke when Jared was talking usually got one hell of a beating or scolding. Liam had raised a brow in Jared's direction however when he announced Mathieu was a higher rank then all of the people there. For some reason he thought that was funny not to mention the looks on half of the other's faces. Liam's red eyes however darted to the side when Cole had spoken. Why…did he say Mathieu's name? Soon after Jared questioned the boy and Cole admitted that he went to school with Mattie. Wait a fucking minute! He went to school with Mattie! His eyes narrowed dangerously towards the boy and even more so when he had also said he was Mattie's English partner.

Was HE the reason Mattie was acting the way he was after school? Feeling his heart quicken in rage, he pulled away from Mattie and stormed over to the spiky haired brat. Grabbing him by the collar, he instantly raised a fist in the air. "So you are his partner huh! What the fuck did you do to Mattie to make him so upset HUH? Spill it out you brat!" The boy before him looked petrified and he was about to punch the other in the face, but his arm was stopped from doing so. His eyes glanced down when he noticed Mattie pulling his arm close to him. 'No?' Was he sticking up for this punk! Grunting, he released Cole before sighing. " He better not be the reason you were upset after school." Liam said with narrowed eyes. If Cole had did ANYTHING to make the boy upset, he would beat the living hell out of that punk ass kid. He pulled his arm away from Mattie before setting a hand onto the boy's head. Bah now everyone was staring at HIM. "Stop looking at me like that! " Liam shouted since it was kind of irritating him now.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole watched as Liam's look expression on his face started to get even more angrier by the second. Had Mathieu told Liam about himself…and the teasings? Ugh! If Mathieu did it probably came out worse than it really was. All he did was take the other's glasses and fooled around his stuff. He had never tripped the boy or hurt him. He was only playing harmless little games! Cole looked over at Mathieu when the boy started to cling to Liam. Was…he really that scared of him? Well, it probably made it worse since he found out that he was in a gang.

Cole had instantly pulled loose from his thoughts when Liam came marching over towards him like some bull. The spiky haired boy took a step back as his eyes widened, but he was soon grabbed by the collar. "H-HEY! What is the big idea? I didn't do anything to him! Release me Liam! " The boy demanded as he tried to pull himself away from the man's grips, but his eyes darted to the fist that was raised above him. Great! He was going to get punched and Jared was standing over there acting like he had front row seats to the best show in town! That man didn't care who fought as long as it was entertaining huh? Damned man and his …ways.

Cole just decided to close his eyes and was willing to take the punch, but nothing happened. He reopened his eyes when Mathieu came over clinging to Liam's arm begging for him to stop. He forgave him? Well that was a relief! Once he was released a hand moved to his neck as he rubbed it gently. Ugh Liam had a grip of a fucking gorilla. Hearing Liam's comment directed to him, he had made a face. "Stop playing hardball! I didn't do anything to hurt him, just some harmless little teasing games. Look, Mathieu and I are fine, he forgives me! " Cole scoffed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. The boy's eyes darted back to Jared who looked disappointed that nothing had happened. Smirking at Jared, he glanced back at the angry Liam and Mathieu.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu continued to stare up at the man as he pulled his arm back and patted his head. He did however, wince and looked down quickly as the other yelled. The boy couldn't stop himself from flinching away from Liam's touch at the yelling. He muttered an apology and didn't bother looking up as Cole spoke again. He could feel his head spinning. This was all to much to take in right now... so much. Before he could speak, Jared did. Matthieu looked up and nodded as the male asked if he wanted to start cooking. ANYTHING to get away from the eyes of the other people.. anything. He looked at Liam as Jared said he could follow before walking after Jared... seeing as how he wasn't given much of a choice.

The hall ways were long... twisty... Matthieu was lost within the first few turns but both Jared and Liam seemed to know where they were going. What seemed like miles later.. they entered the kitchen.

The very size of it amazed him. It was huge - even so much bigger than the trailer he had once lived in - and very very white. He stared in awe as Jared rambled a bit. Saying where a few things were, the other freezers were in the other room stocked with everything, and if he needed anything to have Liam call for someone and it would be got. "Y-yeah.." he stuttered as Jared left. He stood there awkwardly and looked up to Jared for help. "What am I supposed to make?" he asked helplessly.

**This one is shorter than the others, but oh well. ;D~ REVIEW AND COMMENT…OR SOMETHING. D:**


	8. The Kiss

_EIGHTH CHAPTER! :'D_

**-This is like a week or two after Mattie started working at the base. :D -**

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

_(Cole's POV)_

Well ever since the day he found out that the Mathieu at his school lived with Liam things had been a bit weird. Mattie cooked for the base every night and even though the first night was kind of hectic…it started to calm down a bit. Mattie seemed to loose his nervousness around everyone in way and Mattie was no longer scared of him. That made him feel a lot better! His intention of teasing the boy wasn't to scare the living crap out of him, heh. Now he and Mathieu were at a park eating some ice cream. He had to ask Liam's permission if the two could hangout since Liam was still giving him dirty looks here and there. However, he ended up giving in and allowed the two to hangout. The boy actually had his hair down today and wore a black beanie on top of his head. He wore a white tank top with a black jacket over it. His pants were black as well as same as his platform shoes. Looking over at Mattie, he had motioned the boy to follow him. "I want to swing on the swings!" Cole said with a bright smile towards the male.

The light blue haired male dashed over to the swing set with a cone of strawberry and banana ice cream on it. Using his free hand, he had wiped the snow off of each swing for he and Mathieu. Placing his butt down onto the swing, he had licked the ice cream. "This is some really good ice cream, huh? " Cole asked with a smirk as he planted his feet on the snowy ground and started to push himself off so that he was swinging. After a moment or so, he allowed the swing to slow down. " Hey…Mathieu. I know this is sudden, but I'm sorry for the way I treated you at school. I wasn't doing it to be mean, I did it because I liked you. " It was a vague way of putting it. It meant the 'like' part in both ways. Liked him as a person and a little more, but Mattie probably wouldn't catch on to the 'little more' part. "Also, I'm not sucking up to you just because of Jared's threats, I mean it."

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu hummed softly to himself and licked his ice cream a bit as he followed Cole through the park. The was still snow, of course, but it wasn't nearly as cold as it usually was... and the ice cream was way to good! If there was a business making a living in the winter from selling ICE CREAM... then it had to be good. And it was! It had been expensive - and Cole had insisted on paying - but it was soooo gooood! Mattie was wearing his usual red sweater and a pair of jeans, but today he only wore gloves and a scarf. No hat... though he regretted it. His head was sooo coool and the ice cream wasn't helping. He pulled from his thoughts and smiled over to Cole as he spoke. Swings? Ah... it had been years since he had sat on a swing. "Sure." he said and followed behind it friend slower. Cole seemed super excited for the swings. He grinned and giggled a bit as his friend cleared one for him then one for himself and sat. "Thank you." he said cheerfully and sat onto the swing. STILL cold and wet... but it was nice of Cole and... it was nice to sit after all of the walking they had done.

The boy licked his ice cream and pushed himself back and forth gently with his toes as Cole spoke. "It's delicious, thank you again for paying." he replied shyly, looking at the sky as he licked his ice cream. It was when his friend spoke again did the boy turn his head in surprise. Surprise turned into a grin at Cole's additional statement. It would be like Jared to threaten Cole to be nice. "Are you still thinking about that?" he teased with a happy laugh as he pushed himself just a little bit higher with his toes. "Don't worry about it, Cole. You're my friend now and that's all that matters." he said with a happy nod. He was so happy to have friends now... Liam, Cole, and even Jared! Jared scared him and he knew the male could be violent... but Cole and Liam! They were so kind to him. After he had become the chef for the gang, all of the teasing disappeared from Cole. Well.. the mean teasings. The boy teased him still... but in ways that Matthieu didn't mind at all. "I like you Cole. I like you a lot." he turned his head to look at his friend and smiled innocently at him. Next to Liam, Cole was probably his best friend.

_(Cole's POV)_

"Hm? Oh you don't have to thank me. I was happy to pay." He had enough money to pay for two ice creams. He certainly wasn't a cheap person when it came to money, well when he had some on him that was. The boy had taken another big bite out of his ice cream and some of the cone itself when he noticed the look Mathieu was giving him. Why…did he look so surprise? When the other asked if he was still thinking about it, he had nodded. "Yeah I guess so. Guilty conscious. " He laughed a little, but stopped instantly when the smaller boy had said he was his friend now and that was all that matters. Well, that was sweet of him. He was such…a nice boy. Very kind hearted and willing to give people chances.

In a way he was glad that the other did give him another chance since he was afraid that Mathieu wouldn't want anything to do with him and would only talk to him if it involved school work. However that wasn't the case and he was thankful for that. It was funny in a way…since he started to get closer to Mattie people had given him strange looks at school. Most people didn't talk to him anyways, but they didn't fuck with him like they did to Mattie. Now they were friends people started to lay off Mathieu. Hehe.

Cole had pulled out of his thoughts when Mattie had spoken to him. Cole had let his eyes widen a bit when the boy said he liked him…and a lot. "Well don't I feel special?" Cole replied with a chuckle escaping his lips, but allowed his expression to turn into a serious one. " Mathieu…, to be honest I always …liked you in school. I had quite a crush on you throughout the years, but it wasn't until this year that I got to talk to you. I may have gone the wrong way about…the teasings which I only did out of the feelings I have for you. I have a weird way of showing my emotions, but…" His eyes grew serious as he allowed his free hand to grab the chain to Mattie's swing and pulled it so the boy was close to him. "I love you. " With that said, he had closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Mathieu's lips. It was weird kissing someone…, but it felt nice. Hopefully…he didn't scare the boy away by this.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu felt himself laughing as the other said it was his guilty conscious. Cole? Feeling guilty? Surely he was lying! The boy only grinned in reply and licked his ice cream. The boy looked back over and grinned at his comment. "You should indeed feel quite special!" he said with a laugh as he swung happily. The boy did, however, stop and blink as he went serious. Why was Cole being serious? Before he could ask... the boy he had a crush on him? For a while? Matthieu froze and stared at the boy as he spoke.. then grabbed his swing. Before he could register what was happening... Cole spoke then kissed him. Love? L-love! Matthieu felt the ice cream slip from his grip and drop down onto the snow ground, staining the snow with the brown chocolate ice cream he had been enjoying. Without thinking, he pulled back from the other and jumped back off the swing, his hands covering his lips as his face turned red. The boys purple eyes were wide. "I... I... I think I should go home." he stuttered, not registering yet what had happened. "I-I live close so that I can w-walk. See you tomorrow, Cole!" With that, the boy turned and quickly walked, nearly ran, toward his apartment.

Love? Cole LOVED him? That why he had teased him? Why Cole was taking his glasses and smiling at him and always bothering him? No... no! What would Liam think? Why did Matthieu even care wha- Ohhh! Liam was going to be so mad! If he walked in all red and flustered the man would be so suspicious and angry! He didn't want Liam to be mad and he sure as he didn't want his friend to worry! Mostly the mad part though... But Cole... oh no oh no! It was going to be so awkward! He shouldn't have run! He shouldn't have run like that! Matthieu swallowed hard and looked up. How did he get to his apartment so fast? It was then he realized he was out of breath. He had run.

The boy took a deep breath and focused on controlling his breathing before he stepped inside. He had calmed himself... but seeing Liam watching TV on the couch made his heart freak out again. He felt his face turn red and his eyes look down. "G-going to take a shower!" he said, his voice coming out as barely a squeak. He dropped his bag onto the ground near the door and nearly ran into the bed room. There was Kumajiro waiting for him on the bed. Since he had joined the gang, the boy had done his best to keep Kumajiro at home... it was hard every morning but made every night when he came home great. He walked over to his side of the bed and sat, pulling the bear into his arms. What was he supposed to do? Cole was his friend... such a good friend. He didn't have very many and he had probably scared Cole away... what was he going to do?

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam stretched lightly as he continued to surf through some channels. So far nothing good was on TV which sucked ass. Ever since Mattie started to cook for the gang things have been going by a lot smoother which made him happy. Mattie seemed to be adjusting fine and everyone seemed to enjoy the boy's company, so all was good. Now bratty Cole and Mattie were friends and Cole had asked him today if he could take Mattie to the park. Even though he was still hesitant about the boy, he had allowed it since Mattie looked excited about the idea. Hopefully Cole didn't pull anything sneaky or he would have to ram his foot up his ass. Moving a hand into his red and orange hair he had kicked his feet onto the coffee table. Hm, it has been a few hours so they should be heading back anyways.

Liam had just found something to watch on TV when the door to the apartment opened and Mattie came in. His red eyes watched as Mattie stuttered about getting a shower, dropped his bag and had run off. Something had happened. Letting his eyes narrow, he dropped the remote onto the couch and stood up. Making his way down the hallway, he knocked on his bedroom door incase he 'was' changing. After a moment, he opened the door to see Mattie sitting on the bed holding the stuffed bear close. Now he KNEW something was up because he was holding onto the bear for dear life. Stepping inside the room, he had shut the door and walked over to Mattie. "What is wrong? Why did you run in like that? Did Cole pull anything! Did he hurt you? What the hell did that boy do!" Liam shouted as he stared at the blond haired boy. Trying to calm his tone of voice down for Mattie, he sighed. "Just tell me what happened, ok? Don't say nothing happened either, because I can tell something went down. Whenever you are hugging Kumajiro like that something is on your mind, unless you are sleeping. "

_(Mattie's POV)_

No No No! Cole couldn't hate him! Cole was such a good friend... Cole cared about him so much. But... Matthieu had done a terrible thing by running away like that. Hadn't he? It had just... been so surprising. He wasn't sure what to think... but surely... surely Cole hated him now. The male closed his eyes and hugged his bear tighter. What a scary idea... to loose a friend. He had never had a friend to loose before... and now that he did... Matthieu gasped and pulled from his thought as he heard a voice... screaming! Waah! It was Liam! He was yelling and he looked so pissed off! Hearing the questions, and the level of Liam's voice, the male whimpered and cowered away from the other boy and closer to the bed frame. He could tell from the few seconds of silence that Liam was trying to control the level of his voice and his anger. The next time he spoke it was lower but still just as angry and demanding. The male squirmed lightly and stared down at his shoes. Without thinking he pushed them off - they were boots today and not his usual converse making them much easier to take off - then scooted himself back onto the bed so he could pull his knees closer to his body, but still far enough so that Kumajiro could fit between the area of his knees and his body.

"I don't want you to get mad." he whispered, barely able to hear his own voice. The boy stared down at his bear and tried not to shake. Liam was mad, but not mad at HIM. There was no reason to be afraid of him, he just had to keep telling himself this. Unlike his father, Liam's anger wouldn't be taken out on him... just someone else. In this case... he didn't want that to happen. "I don't want you to hurt Cole... please don't hurt him." he choked out without looking up, his voice no louder than it had been before. He felt like he was so close to crying. "I-I don't want to tell you because you'll get m-mad... y-you'll be mad at me and at Cole. He didn't mean anything by it, Liam. I don't want you to hurt him." he said and closed his eyes, hugging Kumajiro again. Matthieu squirmed but didn't look up, afraid of what Liam was doing... or about to do.

Even when Liam spoke the boy didn't look up. He promised not to hurt Cole and that he wouldn't be mad... but how did he know? He didn't even know what Matthieu was going to say. How would Liam react knowing that another guy had kissed him? More so that, other than the fact it was someone he just considered a friend, that it didn't bother him at all. Being kissed by a guy... well... it didn't matter to him at all. The fact that... it was a guy and not a girl. Was that bad? He knew his fathers opinions about that, and he knew how society as a whole felt about it... but he didn't care about that. He cared about what Liam thought. Would Liam kick him out? Be disgusted? The male was pulled from his thoughts as his back was touched. He flinched lightly, from habit mostly, before he peered at Liam who was saying more promises and things. He looked concerned... Whoops! How long had there been a silence? Heh... Matthieu had probably been zoning out just a bit longer than he meant to.

The boy turned his head away from Liam and looked back down to his bear. "We..." Matthieu stopped before he started and thought. Should... should he just tell Liam everything what had happened? How it happened? Yes...yes he had to. Liam should know... and know how it happened not just that it happened. Saying that a boy had just kissed him out of no where could... well, it could be anything. It could have happened anywhere in any circumstance. It wasn't like Cole had pinned him on a wall and forced it... it had been a lot... well... not as.. bad. "W-we went to the park and sat on some swings... w-we were just talking when he started to apologize for picking on me in school... then he..." Matthieu stopped and squirmed uncomfortably, more than aware of the hand that was still touching him. "H-he told me that he l-lo... that he loved me and then he kissed me." he finished quickly. Matthieu stopped and felt himself turn a deep shade of red as he felt himself shrink against his knees, forming the smallest ball he possibly could without laying down. He felt miserable...

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam watched as Mattie started to scoot back on the bed and had pulled his knees closer to him. The red haired male had made a face when the other had spoken, but he could barely make out what it says. "Look Mattie I won't get mad at-" Liam had stopped talking when the smaller male had went off ranting about how he didn't want him to hurt Cole and how it wasn't his fault, and kept repeating himself. What the exactly had happened? He felt himself getting angrier, but he tried to force the anger down for Mattie's sake. Sighing mentally, he had strolled over to the bed and climbed onto it. Crawling his way over to the worried Mattie, his hand had placed itself upon the boy's back gently.

"Look…Mattie, I won't hurt Cole if you don't want me to. I promise. I just want you to tell me exactly what happened because you are really starting to worry me about all of this." Liam told the blond haired boy with a frown as he rubbed the boy's back to comfort the other a little. " "So…can you please tell me what happened?" Liam asked Mattie in hopes that the boy would stop all of this worrying and would pull himself together and tell him what is wrong.

Liam waited for Mattie to say something, but…there was a long moment of silence. " Mattie?" When the boy pulled out from the daze he had started to speak hesitantly. The red haired male remained silent as the boy started to explain that they went to the park, swung on some swings and Cole apologized. The bitch better had apologized. However…there seemed to be more to it since Mattie started to squirm uncomfortably.

The male continued to wait for Mattie to finish his explanation…and when he did…his red eyes grew wide and his mouth opened a little in shock. Cole…confessed his love to Mattie and had KISSED him? THE HELL! Where did he get off in doing that to him! He barely even knew the boy and just got on the friend level with Mattie and he pulled something as stupid as this! " He…KISSED YOU? THAT BASTARD!" Liam shouted as he pulled away from Mattie a little. That little brat KISSED MATTIE! Ugh! That…that…BRAT!

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu stared down as he waited for a reply... then he got it. At the yelling the boy flinched and shut his eyes closed. Right when the male yelled the boy whined loudly, feeling his eyes start to water. He knew that was going to happen! Liam was pissed! No no! He didn't want to loose a SECOND friend today! Without thinking, the boy flung Kumajiro aside and then flung himself forward. He wrapped his arms around Liam's waist and buried his face into the boys chest. "You promised you wouldn't be mad!" he cried, choking back a sob. "Please, Liam! Please please please don't be angry! Not at Cole! Not at me! Please! C-Cole... he didn't know that... Please don't be mad, Liam!" By now he was sobbing and couldn't finish what he wanted to say. Not that he had any idea what he was trying to say in the first place. Matthieu just didn't want Liam to be angry... he was angry at him, right? At Cole? But...

Why was Liam angry at Cole? It surprised Matthieu, what had happened that was, but why was Liam reacting the way he was? Liam didn't have any reason to be angry... did he? Cole was his friend. The only thing he could think of about why Liam would be angry is if he hated Cole? What did it matter to Liam if Cole had kissed him? Then again... he had come into the house looking frightened. But he was only surprised! Well.. maybe a little afraid... but that was okay. Cole hadn't hurt him... he hadn't tried to hurt him... ugh! Matthieu was so confused! The boy closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Liam, his eyes shutting tightly. "Please, Liam. Please." he repeated softly, still trying to stop himself from crying. Ugh! He was such a baby!

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam still couldn't get over the fact that Cole had kissed Mattie and for some reason it bothered him more than it should have. Liam had pulled out of his thoughts quickly when he noticed Kumajiro being tossed to the side. The hell? Moments later Mattie embraced him and started to cry. Shit! Now his anger had made the boy cry! "I'm sorry! I'm not mad at you…it wasn't your fault. I'm just pissed that Cole did what he did, but I won't hurt him and I'll do my best to let it slide…ok?" Ugh he wanted to kick Cole's ass up and down the sidewalk until there was no Cole left. However he didn't want Mattie to cry like he was doing now, so he would have to let it slide. As long as Cole didn't pull anything else then he was fine.

Liam wrapped his arms around the boy and held Mattie close to him as his red eyes softened. " Alright…, I'm sorry. Just don't cry anymore ok?" Liam asked as he moved his hands away from Mattie's waist and moved them to lift the boy's face off of his chest. Using his thumbs, he had brushed the tears away slowly, and had given Mattie a small smile. Hopefully that will calm the other down. If there was one thing he hated…was when people cried. It was sooo awkward. "I'm not mad anymore, ok?"

_(Mattie's POV)_

Even though Liam was apologizing and saying he wouldn't hurt Cole.. Matthieu couldn't stop from sobbing. He knew that Liam was just saying that! He was just saying that so that he would stop crying. He really really really didn't want poor Cole to be hurt! Cole was just... he didn't know. Confused wasn't the right word. All he knew was he didn't want Cole to be hurt. Matthieu tried to slow his sobs as he felt a pair of arms around him. Was Liam hugging him? Yes... yes he was. So Liam didn't hate him? He wasn't mad? He nodded slowly as the other asked him to stop crying...he was trying but it wasn't helping at all. He knew that Liam would keep a promise the best he could... but he had also promised not to get mad and he did... really mad. Matthieu opened his eyes and felt them widen as the other grabbed his chin and moved it so he had to look up. The boy blinked then closed his eyes as the other brushed his tears away. He only opened them once more when Liam spoke again. Ah... he wasn't mad. Matthieu could tell he wasn't. The one hard red eyes were now a lot softer... now to harsh looking. He nodded slowly before moving and sitting on his knees. He sniffled once before moving forward and wrapped his arms around Liam's neck. He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Thank you." he said hoarsely, his head resting onto the others neck and his eyes closing.

**(Meanwhile…back to Cole!)**

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole enjoyed…the one sided kiss while it lasted and had allowed his eyes to open. However, when he opened his eyes Cole noticed a very red Mattie jumping away from him. CRAP! He scared him! Damn it! "W-WAIT! Mathieu-" Cole had frowned at the sight of the smaller boy running back home. "Dammit!" Throwing his ice cream in the snow, he had hopped off the swing as he moved a hand to his head. He should not even have said all of those things! Mathieu looked so flustered and confused. What if the boy hated him now? Frowning at the thought, he had walked through the snow to get back to his shiny blue truck Jared bought for him. Pulling out his keys, he had unlocked the car door and stepped inside. Pulling on his seatbelt, he rested his head back against the seat. "I am such an idiot…, he is probably going to tell Liam about this and Liam is going to kick my ass." At the thought he slammed his head against the seat.

After a few moments, he started the truck and drove away from the park. All he wanted to do right now was to go home and just lay on the couch. Hopefully Jared isn't home otherwise he will notice something is wrong and tease him about it when figuring out what happened. Groaning, he pulled into the nice neighborhood and parked his car in the driveway. Turning the car off, he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the truck. Well, he didn't see Jared's car anywhere. Phew. Going up the stairs, he used his key to unlock the door before stepping inside and locking it behind him.

The boy walked into the living room and had sat on the couch. Cole removed his blue cell phone from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table along with his keys. Moving both hands to his head, he removed the beanie and dropped it to the floor before ruffling his hair. "Well, at least Jared isn't home… " Cole said with a sigh before kicking off his boots and lying face down on the couch. He didn't even want to go to school tomorrow since it would be awkward. Then again…Mathieu did say 'see you tomorrow!' So, maybe he wasn't mad at him? Sighing, he grabbed a couch pillow and set it under his head.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared sighed and turned the wheel and pulled into the parking area beside his house. What a long fucking day. Two morons had nearly got caught in some shitty half assed dug deal so he ended up beating the SHIT out of the two of them AFTER rescuing them and one had even hit him back. HIT. HIM. The idiot was dead, obviously, but god damn it did his fist hurt from beating the shit out of him.. not to mention his arm had one nasty bruise from the punch. The male almost wished he had been calmer when he had killed the kid... then he would have realized he should have made the death a lot slower and so much more painful. The male pulled from his thoughts and turned his car off as he stepped out. Wait... what? Jared stopped and stared at the blue truck on the other side of his car. What the hell was Cole doing home? That morning the kid had ranted and rambled happily about how he was going on a talk with Matthieu after school and he was going to tell him something important. Admitting his crush? Cole didn't know that he knew, but it was pretty fucking obvious. The stupid blue haired bastard liked Matthieu... but Liam liked Matthieu. To Jared, it was obvious who the kid would pick if given the choice. A bully over his savior? Stupid Cole. Jared, that morning however, had only nodded and grunted as the kid ran around happy. This was something Cole had to learn on his own... the hard way.

So why was he home?

The male felt a small grin creep onto his face as he realized what must have happened. Rejection. Cole was such a fucking idiot. Jared clicked his tongue in a satisfied manner before heading up the steps and into the house. He opened the door silently, locking it behind him, before walking very, very quietly into the living room. As expected. There was Cole laying on his stomach, his face in a pillow and the air around him miserable. Yep. He was shot down. "Rejected?" he said suddenly with a sneer on his face. The male walked over and roughly moved the others feet before dropping onto the couch. He tugged his gun out of hiding and tossed it onto the table with an almost thoughtful sigh. "Oh, the first rejection. A young child's heart broken. How amusing. I tried to warn you not to tell him, kid." Jared laughed and shook his head. "You'll learn to listen to me, hm? I had a feeling that sweet little Matthieu wouldn't take to kindly to such a confession."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had nuzzled his head into the pillow comfortably as he lied on the couch like a lump on a log. He didn't know what to do now, or say to Mattie the next time he saw him. Maybe he should have listened to Jared earlier toda-No! If he did listen to Jared then he would never know if Mattie felt the same about him or not. Even though what happened today pretty much proved that Mathieu didn't like him…there was still a chance right? Grunting at the thought he kicked his feet back and forth out of frustration. Cole was so focused in his thoughts that he didn't even hear someone walk in, but he did feel his feet being tugged off the couch. FUCK! JARED! Noo! Why did he have to come home? Lifting his head off of the pillow, he turned to look back at the male as he had spoken.

Pulling his legs back onto the couch, he had sat Indian style facing Jared with a pouty expression on his face. "Shut uppp! I don't need you to rub it in my face. I knew once you came around you would poke fun at me." Cole said with a whine before allowing his light blue eyes stare into his lap. " I don't even know…if it was exactly a rejection. He ran off stuttering while saying he would see me tomorrow." The boy said with a sigh before slowly glancing up at Jared. " I don't know what freaked him out more…the confession…or the kiss…" The boy thought out loud before averting his eyes to the side sadly. "If Mattie and Liam is as close as it seems…then Liam will probably find out get all mad and kick my ass. "

"Also, I'm skipping school tomorrow." The boy told the older man before grabbing the pillow off the couch, flopping on his side with his legs propped up upon Jared's lap. He buried his head into the pillow and closed his eyes. " Mattie probably hates me… " Cole murmured into the pillow softly. Hopefully…HOPEFULLY…Jared will allow him to stay home for at least one day.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared felt himself cackle slightly as the boy jumped. He loved scaring the kid shitless. He leaned back and kicked his feet onto the table as Cole sat up and started to whine. He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Well obviously. I knew this would happen." he snapped. That idiot Cole was... an idiot. Did he seriously think that Jared didn't know what to do in these kinds of situations? Jared had been seriously in love a few times... none of them ended well when the other broke it off. Ah, his lovers. They were all dead now for trying to break his heart. "That's called a rejection, kid." he said with a laugh. Running off? Oh yeah. That was rejection. It sounded to him like Matthieu ran off the second he could. The male had just stretched... when the boy spoke again.

"You fucking KISSED him?" Jared snapped his head over and stared at Cole like he was the stupidest thing ever. He WAS the stupidest thing ever! "You fucking moron, no wonder he ran away from you!" he snapped, now annoyed. That explained WHY the boy ran off! Jared didn't need to ask any more questions to understand why Matthieu was uncomfortable. "It's fucking obvious why he ran off now, you fucking idiot." he snapped and hit the boy in the head, though not as hard as usual. He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing to speak. "You're forgetting the kids background, Cole. He's never had FRIENDS let alone a love interest. You admitting your love and kissing him probably freaked him the fuck out. The fact he didn't punch you amazes me... well...not really... Point is, he's probably pansexual and confused. God, you're so fucking stupid."

Jared sighed and shook his head. Idiot. Idiot. How had he helped in raising someone this fucking stupid? "Liam won't touch you." he said, rolling his eyes. Was Cole really so blind as to Matthieu's personality? "Even if you cut that kids hand off, he'd still defend you. Are you really that blind as to where you can't see that? He's to kind hearted to allow pain to come to anyone. I'd bet you this house that he's defending you to Liam right now." The boy pushed his hair from his face and snapped his head over as the male plopped down onto the couch and spoke again. He ignored the boys feet on his lap and growled.

"You are most certainly not skipping tomorrow." he snapped, growing irritated once more. He ignored the males last comment and reached over and flicked the boy in the head. "You are going to school tomorrow and you are going to do whatever it takes to make up with Matthieu, understood?" he snapped, his voice void of any sign of playfulness. "I'm sure you haven't noticed because of the way you shovel your food, but Matthieu's mood does impact his cooking. If he's upset about you, then he'll be miserable. I'm not going to allow our chef to be miserable. Tomorrow first thing in the morning you are to talk to him, do you understand me? That is an order, kid."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had pulled the pillow from his face when Jared shouted at him for kissing Mathieu. "Of course I kissed him! The blue haired boy shouted as he was then hit in the head. "H-Hey! Don't hit me! So I didn't think it through…, okay I get that-" The teenage boy stopped in the middle of his rant when Jared had mentioned how he is forgetting about Mattie's history. Jared was right…, but he didn't expect this kind of reaction. " The thing that threw me off was the fact he said he liked me…and a lot." Cole frowned as he sat up and pulled his legs off Jared slowly. "Also…you don't have to keep telling me that I'm stupid. I get it…I screwed up."

Cole sighed heavily, but had raised his brow when Jared told him that Liam wouldn't hurt him. PFT! Yeah right! Unless Jared was going to play the almighty hero 'like that would happen' and save his ass then Liam would so beat the shit out of him. Cole was about to make a comment about that, but Jared added on that Mathieu seemed like the kind of person who would be defend him even if he had cut the boy's hands off. " Sheesh, well hopefully that is the case." The boy scoffed as he moved a hand into his blue hair and ruffled it. It was so weird not having his hair spiked up. When it was down…it was sooo soft.

The teenaged boy pulled away from his thoughts when Jared told him he wasn't able to skip school tomorrow. His hand instantly dropped from his hair, and his eyes widened and a pout curved at the corner of his lips. "B-But Jared! That is going to be so awkward! Why can't I just have one day off?" The boy complained, but by the look on Jared's face…he could tell that he wasn't playing or was about to change his mind. Getting off the couch, he made a face. "Fine, I'll go to school tomorrow, but I am not coming to dinner tonight." Cole said stubbornly.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared sighed as the other defended his actions again. Moron. "Of course he said he liked you. You're one of the first friends he's had in his entire fucked up life, of course he would say he likes you. Like I said, he has the innocence of a five year old." he said and rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore his comment about asking him to stop insulting him. There was nothing that Cole would do to MAKE him stop, so it was easier to ignore it. Jared also ignored the comment agreeing with him. About Matthieu. God. Jared had known Matthieu for a few weeks and HE could tell that Matthieu was the kind of person to defend someone to the death, even if they had hurt him. Cole was an oblivious idiot.

When Cole started to whine about school, he only turned his head and glared nastily at him. Was that back talk he heard? It softened into a cocky smirk as the other stood. "That doesn't matter. Mattie wasn't going to be cooking tonight anyways. He has a French Final to study for tonight... not that he'll be studying anymore." Jared sneered before leaning forward and grabbing the remote. "I'll bring you some pizza up later. Now go do something fucking useful." With that he turned the television on to let the boy know that he was done talking. Was Cole really that young and stupid when it came to relationships? Yes... yes he was.

**(END OF CHAPTER. :'D I hoped you liked it.)**


	9. Liam's Realization And The Locket

_NINTH CHAPTER! :'D_

**This is a month after the whole Cole smooching Mattie happened~**

**(~Continuing where I left off.~)**

_(Liam's POV)_

It has been around a month since he had taken Mattie into his home and had allowed the boy to live with him. It was weird in a way since it didn't feel that long at all. It felt like everything just happened yesterday. How they met…the shooting, Mattie becoming the chef and finding out that Cole kissed Mattie. At the thought he felt his eyes narrow a little. The last part only happened a week ago and he could not get the thought of Cole kissing Mattie out of his fucking head. Liam had hopped onto the kitchen counter as he grabbed an apple and started to bite into it. No matter how many times Liam tried not to think about the kiss it kept replaying back in his mind and he even dreamed about it! It was like haunting him or something!

" Why does it bother me so much!" Liam asked out loud as he took an angry bite out of the apple and started to munch it down. He didn't why it bothered him so much, but it did…a lot. What did Mattie even say to Cole when that all went down? …What if they were together? At the thought his eyes narrowed some more and he took another angry bite out of the able and started to munch down on it, but had started to choke by how fast he was eating it. Dropping the apple, he started to flail his arms in the air. "G-GAH!" It took him a while, but he managed to stop choking and his face was red from it.

Growling, he got off the counter, picked up the apple and tossed the rest of it into the trashcan. Well that was a lesson he just learned. Never…EVER eat an apple when you are angry. Liam waited a while for the color of his face to turn back to a normal shade before walking out of the kitchen. Heading into the living room, he had noticed there was music coming out from Mattie's laptop. It was in another language, so obviously it was probably French. He glanced over to Mattie who was currently working on his French homework. " Hey Mattie, how's Cole doing?" Liam asked the small boy, and when he answered, he had let out an 'ah' sound. Waiting a few moments, he spoke once more. " You know…you never did tell what you said to Cole after…the kissing incident. What did you say to him?" Liam asked curiously as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets.

_(Mattie's POV)_

_"Poupée, avec l'amour t'as pris la poudre d'escampette_

_T'as désiré le coup d' foudre t'as dit bonjour à la tempête,_

_Poupée, t'étais cette fille au pays des merveilles_

_Tu lui as ouvert ton plutôt que de t'ouvrir les veines, je sais_

_T'as vu en lui que ce que seule toi pouvais comprendre_

_T'étais petite, il était grand, il était tendre,_

_Je sais, et puis pourquoi se justifier l'amour ne s'explique pas,_

_Ni même le sang qu'on retrouvera chez toi..."_

For some strange reason... singing softly helped a LOT while doing his French homework. Of course... that was when the music was actually FRENCH. Currently the male was sitting at small coffee table in the living room in front of the television - which was off - doing his homework. Just like every night. The difference was that tonight he didn't have to worry about cooking for EVERYONE. He had a French Exam coming up, again, and Jared was very understanding when it came to school. Liam didn't try to hide that he was surprised that Jared was being so understanding. Ah well, it didn't bother him. The male stopped singing for a moment and turned his head as Liam came into the room. Had he been dying in the other room? It sure as hell sounded like it! He smiled at the other and turned his music down a bit. Usually when Liam came into the living room when he was studying it was either to watch tv or he had something to say. The television wasn't on... so he wanted to talk.

"Cole?" he asked, slightly surprised as he turned and went back to working on his homework. Liam hadn't brought up Cole, or even spoken to Cole, since last week. Matthieu and Cole, of course, made up at school the next day. Cole had apologized like crazy and Matthieu... forgave him. It had been awkward for a few minutes but then they were fine. He had actually completely forgotten about the previous week until now. Cole was still his friend... and that was all that mattered. "He's been doing great! He's passing most of his classes... well, all now. I had to help him with some Math work yesterday but he's doing quite well." he said cheerfully, ignoring the fact that Liam should know how Cole was doing... the two boys DID see each other just about every other night at dinner at the base. Why... was he asking? And at such a random time!

The next question... then it made a lot more sense. The male stopped working but didn't look up from his French homework as his face turned a deep shade of red. Why in the world did Liam want to know what he said after Cole had kissed him? Well... Matthieu hadn't said anything. He ran off before Cole could stop him and only said bye... barely even that. He was sure that he was half way out of the park by the time he HAD said good bye. He was just happy that Cole forgave him... but that was NOT the current issue. What in the world was Liam getting out of him answering that question? Matthieu had just wanted to put all of that BEHIND him. He didn't want to think about how he had hurt Cole... Cole had said it was okay... but he could tell it wasn't. He now noticed the looks the boy gave him. The hurt in his eyes about how Matthieu had acted. It all disappeared as soon as Cole noticed him looking... but Matthieu noticed. He didn't want to think about that... he didn't. Instead of answering the male pretending to be very, very focused on his French homework. "U-uh... I..." Matthieu stopped and flushed deeper, staring hard at his French homework. He didn't want to relive that day... why was Liam being soooo nosy? Didn't he want to drop it too? Why... why was he bringing it up?

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam waited for Mattie to answer his second question, but all he had got was a stutter. Liam made a face as he noticed the blond haired boy's face turning red. Why was it turning red? What if…the two were dating now? At the thought of it, he had felt his stomach turn in a bad way for some strange reason. He didn't like the thought of the two being in some sort of relationship. It was something he didn't like even if he wasn't sure on why that was. Liam moved so he was standing in front of Mattie as he started to grow impatient and more and more bad turns forming in his stomach at the thought of the two together. It kept playing in his head over and over like a broking record.

Liam pulled away from his thoughts when he still didn't get a complete answer, so without thinking, he had spoken. "Are you two dating? " Liam questioned as he furrowed his brows at the younger boy as he moved a hand to his hair. Hopefully the two weren't dating…oh god he hoped they weren't. Liam noticed how red Mattie's face continued to get, and it had caused him to blink blankly. Damn how red could the boy's face get! "Well…are you guys dating? I want to know!" Gah! Why did he want to know so badly? Yeah he wasn't too fond of Cole…, but there had to be more of a reason behind then not liking Cole, right? Ugh thinking about it made his head throb. Sitting down across from Mattie, he had crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for the boy to say something…ANYTHING!

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu fumbled with his pencil nervously and stared at the paper trying to think of a way to say it. He really... hadn't said anything to Cole. So why couldn't he just tell Liam that? Why was Liam so interested in what he said to the boy anyways? The male squirmed lightly and suddenly wished he had Kumajiro with him... his bear would calm him down. His bear ALWAYS calmed him down. He was so nervous! The boy pulled from his thoughts and snapped his head up, his eyes wide as the other spoke again. DATING? Liam thought they were DATING? The male stuttered a bit, but couldn't find words that made sense together. Matthieu flinched and dropped his pencil as the other yelled angrily and sat in front of him, obviously ready to sit there for as long as it took to get an answer. Gaah! It scared him so much when Liam was this angry! No no no! Angry was an understatement... Liam looked furious! Pissed! Ready to explode!

The boy stared wide eyed at the other, his face as red as it could be. "W-w-w-w-why w-would you think w-we're d-d-dating?" he squeaked, cursing his stutter. WHY did it always happen when he was nervous? Oh... he was more than nervous at this point. Liam DID look like he was ready to hit him. And at this point... Matthieu wasn't sure if he wasn't. The boy flinched and looked down as the males reply was a yell. "We-we're not dating!" he cried out, completely lost for words. Now that he had found his tongue, he couldn't stop it. "Why would you think that Cole and I are dating? He's my friend! He protects me at school and cheers me up in English class. I don't like him.. that way! Why on earth did you think I did?" Realizing he was ranting the male shut his mouth quickly and looked down, nervous and... still red. God damn it! He just wanted to sink back into the couch and hide. But... he did hope that he answered Liam's question the way he wanted it... he didn't want Liam to be so mad at him! "A... are you mad at me?" he whispered without looking up.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam stared at the other and after a few moments Mattie had finally spoken! When the other asked why he would think the two were dating, he had made a face. "Because you didn't answer my question and continued to stutter! " Liam said as he made a face at the boy, but had stopped when Mattie had started to say that he and Cole were not together. So…they weren't dating? Phew…that felt like a load off his shoulders.

The boy had pulled out of his thoughts again when Mattie questioned why he thought the two were in a relationship and started to rant about Cole was just a friend and he didn't like Cole in any other way. "

Well…when you told me about it last week…you didn't want me to hurt him, and you two have been getting pretty close. Not to mention when I asked you what you said to him after the whole things…you started to stutter and get flustered, so I got the thinking you two may be together." Liam said as he felt an anime sweat drop form on his forehead. When the boy asked him if he was mad at Mattie, he had made a face. "No I am not mad at you. Just because I was yelling doesn't mean I am mad at you. I just…yell a lot." The male said with a sigh before standing up and ruffling his hair.

" Now…that this is all over, I'll go get me a soda." Liam said as he ruffled the boy's hair and hurried out of the room and into the kitchen. Well, thankfully that was all over with. They weren't dating, and now he could relax a bit more. Sighing, he hopped onto the countertop.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu stared at Liam as he spoke, a blank look on his face. Of COURSE he begged Liam not to hurt Cole! He had walked in flustered and Liam had RIGHT away started to blame Cole and threaten his life! He wasn't going to let his friend get hurt, especially because Liam was so protective. "We-well... we're not." he said and flinched as the other spoke about the yelling. Yeah.. Matthieu got the yelling part, but he didn't like it. When his dad yelled he was angry... people yelled when they were ANGRY. Matthieu hated the yelling... but it didn't make sense that Liam would yell at him and not be mad.. no... No Liam was lying to him. He HAD been angry. His face had been twisted with hate for... Cole? Probably... if he was still living with Liam then that hate couldn't... and wasn't directed at him. The male stared and watched as Liam got up and and walked into the kitchen for a soda. Matthieu paused his music before standing and following.

"Why did it bother you if me and Cole were dating?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen after Liam. "I mean.. I like Cole a lot. He protects me and talks to me at school in front of other people. He's defended me and got my stuff back when people take it." Whoops, that was a slip up! Liam didn't need to know about the bullies at school. Before he could reply, Matthieu continued. "What would you have done if we were dating? I mean... I do like Cole, but i've never had a friend before so I wouldn't know the difference between friendship and love. The way he acted at the park... just surprised me so much." he said and looked past Liam thoughtfully as he looked up to the ceiling. What DID love feel like? He liked Liam... and Jared.. and Cole. He didn't spend a lot of time with Jared or talk to him a lot. He saw Liam in the mornings and always after school... but he spent the most time with Cole. School was most of his day, and lately Cole had been coming over after school for English and Math stuff. If they weren't at Liam's apartment, they went to the library after school. Was that love? He wasn't sure. He didn't even know if that made sense to question if it was love.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam was just about to hop off the counter to get himself a soda, but Mattie came into the kitchen. Liam started blankly at the male, but after a moment had went by Mattie started to question him. Fuck. Why did he need to know that part? Then again…he wasn't even sure on why it bothered him so much in a way. Maybe it was some form of jealously? It was highly possible, but…eh. Sighing mentally, he had replied back. "I don't know… " It was a lame answer, but it was the only thing he was able to spit out at the moment. Ugh he could feel a headache started to come on. Greaaat!

The red haired male had pulled out of his thoughts quickly when Mattie spoke about how Cole defended Mattie and got his things back when stolen. He was being picked on? Liam was about to say something, but Mattie had quickly cut him off and had questioned him. Liam had felt his eyes widen a bit at Mattie's question before feeling his face heat up a little. What…would he do if the two were dating? He knew he wouldn't like it…, but he didn't know what the hell he would do. It wasn't like he could kick the shit out of Cole since that would upset Mattie and even scare him away at some point. "H-Honestly…, I don't know what I would do…" Liam replied in a low tone of voice.

His red eyes happened to blink a little when Mattie explained he didn't really understand the difference between friend and love. Ugh. This was so awkward. Liam rubbed his head and averted his eyes to the side. "Well…the difference between the two is the fact when you are in love with someone you notice the little things. You worry about the other person and pay attention more to the other. It is kind of the same for friends as well, but it isn't…as obvious. Also with love sometimes you can get a little jealous if another person comes into the picture and sometimes you try to put the other person before yourse-" Liam had paused in his description when something clicked in his brain. All the things he had just described sounded like all of the things he felt…and did for Mattie. Did…that mean…he loved…Mathieu? Was that why he was always so protective over him…? How kind he was towards the boy and did anything he could to make him happy?

Liam felt his stomach turn and his cheeks heat up some more while his eyes widened. He…loved Mattie? HE loved Mattie? Liam looked at the blond and he could feel his heart pace quicken. If…he loved Mattie then it also explained why he was majorly jealous of Cole and about the kiss. UGH! Why was he so stupid? Why hadn't he noticed this before? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu pulled from his thoughts and looked at Liam as he said he didn't know... then spoke more. He listened carefully and made a thoughtful sound. Aside from the jealous part... that was how he felt about everyone. He was always worrying about other people and he ALWAYS put others before himself. He didn't mind at all when Cole or Liam talked to other people.. actually... neither of them really talked to anyone else. He blinked and stared at Liam as the boys eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink. He looked like he was having a very... deep internal conversation with himself. "Uh... Liam?" He cocked his head to one side then laughed a bit. "I'll just go into the other room and work on my homework.." He chuckled a bit at the other before turning and going back to the living room.

Liam was so funny. Matthieu dropped back onto the floor and turned his music back on and up a bit. What was he thinking about that was making him... turn red? Why... he had never seen the boy red before! It was really funny looking and it didn't quite seem to fit his face. It was still very funny though. He smiled to himself and picked up his pencil slowly. Liam was his friend, right? Like Cole? Was Jared his friend too? He pondered to himself and looked absently minded at the wall. Hm. They were his friends, well at least Matthieu considered them to be his friends. He was happy here, wasn't that what mattered? Sure, it was a little bit to violent for him... sometimes the language and the yelling hurt him... but no one here hit him. He was never afraid he was going to be hit. Well... sometimes the yelling got to him... but he knew he was safe here. Matthieu smiled at his thoughts and looked back down to his French homework. Ah. It was nice to be safe.

_(Liam's POV)_

Well, it had been about two hours since the talk he had with Mattie and how he figured out he had feelings for the boy. Liam didn't tell the other about them since he was still…kind of surprised by it himself. Liam had never felt or acted like this with anyone, and he was just now figuring it out. Liam wasn't sure if he should tell Mattie because what if it scared him off like what happened between him and Cole. So, he was still kind of thinking about it. Currently, he was in the kitchen eating some ice cream while Mattie went off to shower. Placing the last spoonful of vanilla ice cream into his mouth, he had got out of the chair and grabbed his dirty bowl. Walking over to the sink, he set the spoon and the bowl inside it.

Liam happened to glance at the clock on the stove and had made a face. "That late already? I might as well put on my pajamas…" The red haired male said with a sigh before heading out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. Walking over to the closet, he had changed into a pair of red pajama pants and a white beater. Heading out of the closet, he had tossed his clothes into the hamper. Walking over his bed, he had noticed something on the nightstand. A…locket? Raising a brow, he had grabbed it and peered at it. Mattie had a locket? Odd. Opening the locket up he had noticed a picture of some…beautiful blonde haired girl.

Who the hell was this? She was pretty as anything…and Mattie had a picture of her? Who was she? What relation did he have to the girl? He could feel himself getting a bit annoyed. Who the hell was this woman! Ugh! Liam was just about to close the locket out of annoyance, but stopped when he heard someone head into the room. Glancing up, he had noticed Mattie in the doorway. Crap. " Who is she…?" Liam asked with a raised brow as he showed the locket to the male as he tried to hide his annoyance.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu let out a happy smile and stepped out of the bathroom quietly, a towel around his shoulders as he used his free hand that wasn't holding his dirty clothes to rub the towel against his head to help his long hair dry. Boy did he need a hair cut! He was tired of looking like a girl... but his hair was sooo soft! The boy adjusted his glasses before heading down the hall and toward the bedroom. Hehe! It was such a good night. He had finished not only all of his French homework, but most of his English and History! Ahh! He was actually going to get a good nights sleep for once! What a pleasant thought. He was already some what excited to sleep, hehe! The boy smiled and pushed some hair from his face before he pushed the bedroom door open. What he saw... what NOT what he had expected.

There was Liam... standing on his side of the bed holding his locket. NO! Liam couldn't have found his locket! The male dropped his clothes onto the ground and felt his eyes widen as the other spoke. He sounded... an angry calm. That was always when his father was the scariest... He felt his eyes turn down quickly and his face turn red. He said nothing for a moment before he outstretched his hand. "P-please give me my locket." he muttered without looking up or answering the boys question. Liam didn't need to know about his mother... his poor mother... and Matthieu didn't want to talk about it. Sure... Liam, in a way, deserved to know. He was living with the boy, wasn't he? Without paying anything or having been told to do anything... But... his mother was dead. What good would come from telling Liam? Nothing! Matthieu cried enough, he didn't need to do it about his mother too. Not tonight... The boy winced and took a step back, his arm lowering, as the other refused to give him the locket and demanded to know again. "I... she..." The boy rubbed his eyes with his long sleeve and sighed. He wasn't going to give up... was he? Instead of answering, the male went back over to where Liam was. He bent down gently and pulled the small box where his art things were stored out from under the bed. After a bit of digging he pulled out his most recently filled sketchbook. The one full of the drawings of his mother that he had done after Liam had told him he was in a gang. Ones of her sitting, smiling, crying, laughing, running... anything that made him remember her. He offered the book to the boy gently before sitting, eying the locket his friend kept in his hand. WHY had he been so stupid and left it out like that? Ugh!

He waited for the boy to start flipping through and stared at his hands wordlessly. "She..." Matthieu paused as he felt his throat tighten. Liam was going to get mad again... he could feel it. Before Liam could yell again, Matthieu spoke. His voice barely above a whisper. "She... she was my mother. She died... on my tenth birthday. W-we were on the way home from my violin lessons... an.. and the wind..." Matthieu stopped talking and pulled his knees against his chest, his forehead resting down on his knees as he swallowed down a sob. N-next Friday it'll be exactly eight years since she d-died."

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had kept his red eyes on Mattie as the boy's eyed widened and had dropped his clothes onto the floor. The male watched slowly as Mattie had glanced down while his face started to turn red. When asked to give the locket back to him Liam had shaken his head. "Not until you tell me who she is." Liam told the male with a serious look on his face. Liam wanted to know who the bloody hell this woman was. He could tell by the look on the boy's face that he did not want Liam to know about this locket. Otherwise, he would have simply told him who the person was with ease. The red haired male had pulled away from his thoughts when Mattie started to stutter, but stopped. He made a face at the smaller boy as he moved over towards the bed to get something out from under it.

Liam's red eyes gazed curiously at the sketchbook that was handed to him. The male blinked blankly at Mattie when he sat on the bed, but allowed his eyes to stare back at the sketchbook. Liam had opened the book and started to flip through the pages. Each page was of the same woman in the locket…but doing different things. He could feel himself getting angry little by little. Liam was just about to reply, but Mattie had beaten him to the punch. Liam felt his anger instantly drop when the boy told him it was his…mother. Liam glanced over at the boy with his eyes slightly widened. It…was his dead…mother? DAMMIT! Now he felt like a complete and utter jackass! Closing the sketchbook slowly, he had offered the locket back to Mattie. "I'm sorry…I didn't know. I'm sorry I got angry…"

Liam frowned towards Mattie before setting the sketchbook on the opposite side of him. The taller boy was just about to say something, but something had clicked. His mother died when he was ten…and it will be eight years next Friday. That meant…Mattie's birthday is next Friday. He would have to make a note to that and get him something for his birthday. He would bake a cake, but…of course he could not bake. Hm, maybe he could get the boy a new laptop, art supplies and a stuffed animal? Yeah, that will do it. Pulling away from his ideas, he moved a hand to touch Mattie's hair. " I hope you forgive me?" The boy asked the other with a frown still placed on his lips.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu only looked up long enough to take his locket back from Liam's hand before he dropped his forehead back against his knees as Liam started to apologize. The boy didn't move or look up again and kept his forehead on his knees, trying to fight back the tears. He loved his mother... but god how he hated talking about what happened. He hadn't celebrated, or even thought about, his birthday since she had died. It was no longer his birthday... it was a day of mourning. She had died... his birth was no longer that important. That was how he had seen it for a long time. Matthieu tried to swallow the lump in his throat but... it didn't work. He opened his eyes and stared down at his lap as he felt a hand in his hair and Liam spoke again. The boy sniffled lightly but didn't move for a moment. Why.. why had Liam gotten mad seeing the locket? His mother was beautiful... but what exactly HAD he thought when he saw her picture? Why had he got so mad because Matthieu had a locket with a woman's picture in it? What... what was Liam thinking?

The boy sniffled again before straightened and moving over to Liam slowly. He didn't want to surprise the boy or make him react to anything... or get mad again. The boy leaned his head against the others shoulder and used his hand holding his locket to rub his eyes, brushing away any tears that had escaped while he had been resting against his knees. "O-of course." he said with one final sniffle. The boy rubbed his eyes again and moved his hand down to his lap. He opened his eyes and looked down at the locket sadly. He missed his mother...he always did around this time of year. The boy was somewhat disappointed in himself that he hadn't remembered he death this year... usually he remembered two or three weeks before... and here he was just realizing it was coming up with a week until then? What was wrong with him? The boy sighed and let his fingers close around the locket. He then pulled away from the other and looked up at him. From the look on Liam's face... he still felt bad about getting angry.

Matthieu forced a smile onto his lips and used his free hand to pat Liam on the head. "It's okay, Liam. You didn't know. Let's just forget this, okay?" he said with a smile. Matthieu pulled away from the other fully and stood up. In a few quick movements the male clasped the locket around his neck and was bending down beside the bed and shoving the sketch book into the box, then the box under the bed. He stood up and stretched before hopping, purposly with energy, back onto the bed and grabbing Kumajiro from Liam's side of the bed where the bear had been lying. Just as he was about to crawl under the blankets, the boy remembered his clothes. OH YEAH! He had dropped those when he came in! The boy set Kumajiro down and went back over to the door. He picked up his dirty clothes and dropped them into the hamper before going back to the bed with a yawn.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had kept his eyes on Mattie as the boy had taken the locket back. Great…he made Mattie upset. Liam felt bad for making Mattie upset, but nothing could be done about that now… The red haired male pulled out of his thoughts when Mattie had leaned against his shoulder. Liam felt his heart beat quicken at the touch of the other boy. Fuck…when Mattie did something like this before he never thought much of it. Now…it made his stomach turn in so many ways. Liam moved his hand slowly to touch the boy's head as

Mattie had spoken. Well, at least he forgave him now. Mathieu still looked sad though by the way he was holding that locket.

Liam had broken free from his thoughts when Mattie pulled away from him. Liam had closed one of his eyes however when Mattie had patted him and asked that the two of them put it behind them. " Sure, whatever you want." The male nodded with a small laugh. It was funny that Mattie was patting HIM and not the other way around. Liam had watched as the blond haired boy put locket around his neck before putting the sketchbook away. Liam had went to crawl over to his side of the bed, but had stopped when Mattie went to lie down, got up and ran to put the clothes he dropped from earlier away. "You are a nut." Liam teased lightly as he crawled under the blankets before placing his head onto the pillow. When the boy got on the bed, he felt his eyes widen a bit. Guhh…even being in the same bed with Mattie felt so…different then from before. His stomach really needed to shut the fuck up. Breaking away from his thoughts, he had yawned. " Goodnight Mattie. " Liam said with a smile before closing his eyes.

_(Mattie's POV)_

" A nut?" Mattie laughed as he crawled into the bed. The boy pulled the covers aside and got underneath them just as Liam turned the light off. Matthieu pulled his glasses off and set them on the bedside table before turning and laying on his side facing Liam, Kumajiro tightly in his arms. Liam didn't look... happy. He looked relieved now that Matthieu had said he forgave him... but the look in his eyes said something else. Liam still felt guilty. Ignoring the boys goodnight, Matthieu looked at the blurry shape he knew was Liam's face. Even though he couldn't see, he knew that the boy was pretending to try to sleep. "Hey Liam!" he said cheerfully, smiling as the boy turned to look at him. He couldn't see Liam, but he knew that Liam could see him.

"What kind of nut am I? Am I walnut? Or a peanut! Is a corn nut counting as a nut? Oh! What about an acorn?" Now HE was thinking about this to much! At first it had been a harmless little thing to cheer Liam up to ACTUALLY being cheered up... but now he was curious. Matthieu rolled onto his stomach and kicked his feet up and down from under the blanket as he made a small humming sound. After a second he hugged Kumajiro against him and laid his head down onto his pillow, giving Liam a curious look.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam was trying his best to allow himself to fall asleep, but it wasn't working in his favor. He had a lot on his mind and it didn't want to go away as he would have liked it to. Liam was about to roll onto his back when Mattie's voice caught his attention. Liam opened his eyes and peered over at the boy who was currently not wearing his glasses. " Yeah?" The male asked as he stared into Mattie's purple eyes. He hadn't noticed before…, but they were really interesting. The way the eyes looked in the moonlight seeping through his window was captivating. Liam soon allowed himself to withdraw from his thoughts when Mattie had spoken.

What…kind of nut was he? "I didn't mean it literally…, but…I guess… " Liam tried to think of what nut Mattie would be since the boy looked really curious about it. " Maybe a Chestnut? " Liam said with a laugh before moving a hand to poke Mattie in the forehead. "Now got to sleep you goof ball. " With that said he smiled towards Mattie and allowed his eyes to close once more.

_(Mattie's POV)_

"A chestnut?" he asked with a laugh. Well.. it worked. Chestnut's were festive and happy... Matthieu wasn't the most festive or the most happy person... but it seemed fitting. Even if he hated Christmas... and Thanksgiving... and all the others holidays. "I approve of th- What's a goof ball?" he asked and squirmed closer to the boy, Kumajiro still tight in his arms. He could hear in Liam's voice that the boy was starting to cheer up a little bit... but he could still tell that there was SOMETHING in the back of his voice hinting at... something. As much as Matthieu was dying, literally, to ask, he kept his mouth shut on the topic. If Liam wanted to tell him, then he would. For now he just wanted to bother Liam like crazy and make sure that he was in a good mood! Going to bed in a bad mood was.. bad! "I hear people say that a lot... but what does it mean?" he asked and peered up at the boy.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had opened his eyes once more when the other had laughed at the chestnut comment. " I can always think of another nut if you don't like the chestnut idea." Liam told the boy with a small laugh escaping his lips. However, when the boy had asked him what a goof ball was, he had snickered. " I don't think there is an actual item called a goof ball, but it is another meaning for being silly in a way. I suppose… " Liam said with a thoughtful look on his face, but noticed that Mattie got even closer to him. He tried to force down a blush that was trying to creep up on his cheeks. Gah! Why was he getting so close? Better yet, why were his cheeks getting red? Ugh good thing the light was off otherwise Mattie might think he was getting sick. " If you don't go to sleep I might have to tickle you." Liam threatened playfully as a smirk formed onto his lips.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Mattie whined loudly and made a face as the other told him to go to bed or he'd be tickled. Chestnut was okay he supposed. Even if he didn't get his question really answered about the goof ball, Liam sounded a lot better and the weird tone was gone from his voice. He smiled happily and nodded, the pretend pout that he had been using disappearing. " Fine, you win for now. " he said with a laugh. The boy hugged Kumajiro and let out a long yawn before closing his eyes and drifting off.

**End of chapter NINE! ;D I hope you enjoyed it~!**


	10. Scars

_TENTH CHAPTER! :D_

**So…this will probably be what you guys have been waiting for with Mattie and Liam. Hur hur hur~**

_**(Also, this takes place in summer, so it a bit of a time skip. XD; The last chapter took place in winter.)**_

**(~Continuing where I left off.~)**

_(Mattie's POV)_

It had been... about six months since Matthieu had started to live with Liam. Now it was the start of a very... very hot summer. It was around... ninety degrees at three o-clock? At the beginning of July? Yep. It was hot. Regardless, Matthieu was in his regular attire. He wore a pair of blue torn jeans, his converse, and... his long sleeved red sweater. He had more for the summer, all of them much lighter than his winter jackets, and most of them red. This one was lighter than his winter sweater but he was still getting looks. Sure, he was hot. EVERYONE was hot regardless of what they were wearing. There were girls running around in barely nothing and they were complaining about the heat. What was the difference between him and them? He was comfortable and hot and they - most of them - had to worry about the way they moved and were uncomfortable and hot. " Cole, knock it off!" Matthieu pulled from his friends grip and headed down the steps of the high school. Oh! YEY! Liam was already waiting for him. " Stop worrying about me. I got light headed from not eating lunch, that's all. Go home." He jumped the last step and waved at Cole. " See you Monday!" The boy ran from his friend and over to Liam's car quickly before the male could argue.

" Hey, Liam!" Matthieu opened the door cheerfully and dropped his bag onto the floor of the car before he got in. " Ahh! Can you turn the AC up? It feels sooo nice!" he said with a smile as he moved his face so he could feel the air conditioner on his face. He knew what was going to be coming in this situation. A 'it would be a lot cooler if you took the sweater off' in which Matthieu would reply 'but i'm far more comfortable with it on' in which the conversation would end. Matthieu had Liam all figured out, even though it had only been six months of living together. He found out that if he said he was happy or comfortable, then Liam wouldn't question it. If Matthieu really wanted something all he had to do was ask softly and look down at the ground. It wasn't really manipulation as it was getting Liam to listen to him. Liam had such a temper! By now... he was used to it. Every time Liam got mad, in general even if it wasn't at him, it would be followed with an apology and fearful eyes looking at Matthieu. Now... now Liam's anger didn't scare him. Liam ALWAYS ALWAYS apologized for it, even if Matthieu just stood back and let him vent without flinching. Matthieu smiled at the thought and leaned back and turned his head to look at Liam as he pulled away from the curb. "Oh, I called Jared, by the way. I can't cook for everyone tonight. There's another French test tomorrow. She's getting us ready for the end of the year Final. So Jared said I could stay home and study."

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam was on his way to pick Mattie up from school and it was so fucking hot outside. He wished he had some shorts at home, but he didn't own such a thing. So, he was wearing a pair of white pants and a white beater. He hated wearing all white, but it was a lot cooler. God he couldn't believe it was summer already. He kind of missed winter in a strange way. Snow would definitely be awesome right about now. Liam had turned the next corner and had drove into the school parking lot and waited for Mattie. He was pretty early today since Jared didn't really need him to much, so he got let off early.

The boy had turned the radio on and had moved his fingers towards the dial to find a good song. So far all he could find was a few country songs and rap. Ugh! That sucked ass! Grunting, he had allowed his eyes to gaze to the side when he saw kids starting to pour out of the school. After a minute, or two, he spotted Mattie with Cole. It was funny…he didn't mind Cole all that much anymore, heh. Liam watched as Cole went his separate ways and Mathieu made his way over towards the car. Liam reached over to unlock it to the boy.

" Hey kiddo." Liam greeted with a smirk and a wave as Mattie got into the car and had told him to turn the AC up. He didn't know how on earth Mattie could wear a long sleeved shirt in this weather! He had offered the boy in the morning to wear one of his shirts, but the other told him that he was quite comfortable wearing a long sleeved shirt. "Ya know you would have been a lot cooler if you wore a short sleeved shirt." Liam told the boy with a laugh as he started to back out of the parking lot before taking off. When the male mentioned Jared, he had glanced over at the boy. " Well that's cool, I can't believe school is almost out already." Liam said with a laugh as he drove down the road before turning the AC up.

It didn't take long to get back to the apartment and when they had arrived, he turned the car off. Getting out of the car, he locked his side of the door and waited for Mattie. When the blond haired boy came out he walked up the stairs and headed into his apartment. He even had the AC on in the house because it was so flipping hot. "Ahh, much better." Liam said before flopping down onto the couch.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Aha! He knew that Liam would say that! He liked the boy and all... but boy was he predictable! Not to mention over protective. Heehee. "I know." he agreed, smiling as the other turned the AC up anyways. "But i'm quite comfortable in my sweater. I don't like short sleeved shirts." And there was the end of that conversation. Sometimes, if Liam was feeling argumentative, he would say that Matthieu was crazy and stubborn and going to die of heat stroke... and he would just smile without replying. Liam's concern made him happy and always made him smile. "I'm excited for school to get out! Oh, speaking of which, I sent in my application for the University yesterday." he said, deciding to touch the topic ONLY briefly. Liam, for some reason, didn't like the talk about him going to college. Matthieu wasn't sure why though... he was sure at one point that Liam would be HAPPY to get his apartment back to himself. However, every time it was brought up.. Liam just got so... meh. So Matthieu only brought it up for a short period of time whenever he HAD to talk about it. Liam deserved to know what was going on, even if he didn't want to.

Matthieu almost groaned as the other pulled up to the apartment. It was sooo niice in the caaar! He sighed and got out of it and followed Liam up the steps and into the apartment. Right away he smiled. Liam had left the air conditioning on all day... that was awesome. Now that Jared had insisted on giving him money too, he generally just gave it all to Liam to pay bills... not that the male ever took it without an argument. Lately, instead of just giving it to Liam, he had been hiding it with the boys money... since Liam had no idea that Matthieu knew where his money was hidden. Hehe! So now Liam didn't have a choice in the matter! It wasn't like he needed the money anyways. He had declined Jared's offer at first...then Jared acted really... really offended so Matthieu accepted before the male could get mad. And it had stopped Jared from getting mad and put him in a very.. very good mood. He was a strange boy... but was happy that Matthieu was taking the money. Not for himself, but he was taking it and that was all he cared about. He had said that too.

The boy dropped his bag onto the ground and laughed seeing a tired and sweaty Liam drop onto the couch. "Tired?" he teased as he dropped his bag onto the floor near the couch. He waved his hand as the other spoke before walking off into the bed room. After school he always changed into a different sweater and washed his face. After all, he was icky from the day! He did have twice as much laundry now that it was summer and he was still wearing his sweaters, but he didn't mind. Liam seemed surprised he didn't mind washing so many clothes, but he didn't. Matthieu walked into the bed room and pushed the door closed before going to his dresser, not bothering to lock the door anymore. Liam always knocked before he entered, waited, then came in. That was just how Liam was. Matthieu smiled to himself before pulling off his sweater and his undershirt and tossing it into the hamper. He then went over to his dresser, opened it and pulled out a light purple pull over hoodie. It was half way over his head when he heard the door behind him open. In an instant the male tugged his hoodie down the rest of the way and spun around. The look on Liam's face said...he had seen.

Damn it! Merde! C'est de conneries! The male went in his head from English to French rapidly. He had never, never, never, EVER wanted Liam to see his damn scars. Not ever! He hated his scars. Every single one of them was a memory that he didn't want. Something he didn't need to remember but couldn't forget. Damn it! Matthieu couldn't tell if the male was angry or disgusted by them, but his internal question was quickly answered when the male started to yell. Who did it? Was... he really asking that question? Then again, from the brief look that Liam had probably gotten they all most likely looked fresh... even though the freshest one was six months old. Matthieu shook his head and took a step back as the other came forward and demanded to know who did them. He was serious about it? "It doesn't matter." he said softly, his eyes staring down at the ground as he retreated away from Liam slowly. What mattered about a dead man? Nothing.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had glance up at Mattie when the boy had asked him if he was tired. "That and the fact that I am hot as anything. I'm half tempted to take a cold shower." The red haired male grunted as the other had set his bag down before heading down the hallway. Liam sighed as he thought back to what Mattie said in the car about college. The male did not like the fact that soon…Mattie will leave him to go to college. Of course he was happy for Mattie but on the other hand he didn't want the boy to leave him. Liam had gotten so use to having Mattie around…and now having these feelings for the boy just didn't help. Sighing, he repressed from the thoughts before getting up from the couch. " Bah, I need a fucking shower." Scoffing, he made his way down the hallway and towards his bedroom.

Liam needed his pajamas, so he knocked on the door, waited for a moment before opening it. However right when the other opened the door he had noticed a lot of deep scars on the boy's back. They looked fresh too in a way. His eyes widened at the sight, but soon narrowed angrily. Who the hell DID that to him! "Who the fuck did that to you?" Liam asked as he slammed the door behind him. He was pissed. No…pissed wasn't even the word to describe how he felt at the moment. " Whoever the fuck did this to you is going to fucking die!" Liam shouted loudly as he felt his fist balling up.

Those scars weren't little tiny scars either…they were huge! Liam did not like the thought of someone hurting Mathieu like that. Taking a step forwards, he had given Mattie a look when he said it didn't matter. It didn't matter? The hell it didn't! "Yes it does fucking matter! No one should put their grubby hands on someone as kind hearted as you! It just pisses me off!" With that lat comment Liam found himself kicking the hamper across the room which he could tell had startled Mattie. His red eyes shot over to the boy once more when the other asked _'why?' _

At this point Liam lost all control and started to rant. "Why! Because I HATE the fact that someone I love this much was put in any kind of pain!" Liam shouted as he threw his arms in the air, but had felt his cheeks turn red when he realized what he had just said. Did…he just admit that he loved Mattie? FUCK! It wasn't like he was ashamed of loving the boy…it was just the fact it came out…without him knowing really. His heart was beating fast now and he had no idea how Mathieu was going to react. Was he going to get scared like he did with Cole? Fuck! FUCK! Damn word vomit!

_(Mattie's POV)_

Now... now he was scared. Matthieu had NEVER seen Liam this mad! Not when he had killed his dad and not even when Cole had kissed him. The boy winced and nearly fell backwards as the other slammed the door. He understood a little of why he was mad... but THIS mad? Matthieu backed up more as Liam came forward... but was forced to stop when he backed up right into the wall. Damn it! The only thing now was curling into a ball hoping that he would stop yelling... but the boy didn't move, his eyes staying on the ground as Liam continued to yell. ""Why-" he stuttered, "Why does it even matter?" Matthieu could understand that Liam cared about him. It had taken a while, but the boy could now openly admit that he trusted his friends and he knew that he could depend on them. He never bothered any of them with his silly problems, but he knew that he could. But this... this was scary. Matthieu had forgotten how scary that Liam could be! The boy closed his eyes tightly as the other yelled out his answer... but then froze.

Without thinking the boy snapped his head up and stared at Liam, his fear fading away to confusion. "H-huh?" he asked blinking. The boy stared confused at the others red face. Had Liam said... what he thought that he heard? Love? There was that word again. He hadn't thought about it seriously since... since the incident with Cole really. Matthieu could tell that Liam had made a slip up. The boy NEVER ever blushed! It was... a very weird site to see the males face red. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, silently thankful the conversation was steered away from his scars now. This was going to be an awkward conversation, he could tell that for damn sure... but it wasn't about his back. Liam seemed to have completely forgotten that for now as well from the look on his face. "Liam?" he asked when the boy didn't reply.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam just stared at Mattie with wide eyes as the boy had looked up at him with confusion written all over his face. Dammit! It wasn't like he could cover it up by saying _'I said olive juice.' _Only Stewie from Family Guy could get away with something like that. God he watched too much television. There was no point in trying to cover it up now, so he had to come face to face what he just said. It was going be awkward as shit, but he had to. Liam pulled away from his thoughts when the boy asked him a question, but he remained frozen. Ugh! Liam allowed his red eyes to avert to the side as he felt his heart beating quickly by each second that went by. "W-What…I mean by it…is that I love…you." Liam muttered softly as he felt his cheeks grow hot at his own comment.

Liam had allowed his eyes to slowly gaze back at Mattie with his face feeling like it was on fire. Ugh this was probably the most awkward situation he had ever been in EVER! Liam NEVER got flustered or felt like this, and now…he did. Frowning, he moved a hand into his hair out of habit due how uncomfortable he felt at the moment. "Look…, I'm sorry about this. What I said is true…and all, but I understand if you don't feel the same way. Something like this is new to you…and me too in a way, and- " UGH! He sounded like a complete fucking idiot! Maybe he could hurry out the room and get in the shower? " I-I really need to get in the shower! So…I'll be going now…!" With that said Liam hurried towards the door to leave the room.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu turned his head to one side and watched the silent boy. Liam... was never quiet. He blinked lightly and stared quietly as he spoke. The boy felt his heart pace quicken as the boy finally said what he wanted to say. He... loved him? The boy felt himself turn red as the other started to explain himself. Then... then he randomly stopped and said something about running off and taking a shower? Well... Matthieu didn't really know how he felt really. Like Liam had said... he had never felt that way before... what did it feel like? What did it mean? The boy pulled from his thoughts and shook his head as the other was almost out of the room! "W-wait!" The male ran over and grabbed one of the boys arms and hugged it. After realizing what he did, the male blushed and looked down, but didn't let go. "I-.. I don't... I mean you... you don't need to go." he said without looking up, his face still red.

Honestly, he just wanted Liam to... explain a bit more. About the... well.. he wasn't sure what he wanted. None of this made any sense... but all he did know was that he didn't want Liam to go. He felt bad almost... that Liam had wanted to run away from him. He squirmed a bit before looking up finally. "When.. when did you.. figure this out?" he asked quietly. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to know, but just that he was curious. He had never ever thought that Liam liked him... THAT way. Liam had always just been his awesome friend who... was awesome! He knew that Cole had, and still did from what he had been told by the boy, liked him... but Liam? Liam had never hinted anything like that! He was... curious.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had just managed to open the door when Mattie had called out to him. Liam had glanced back when the small blonde haired boy ran over to him and grabbed his arm. His stomach started to turn at the touch, but blinked at the other blankly. Why…did he come over to stop him? When the boy started to stutter with a flushed face his eyes widened a bit. He didn't need to leave? Liam was confused a little on why he didn't want him to go. The last time this happened with Cole Mattie ran home freaked out. With him… Mattie just seemed flustered and …confused.

When Mattie finally looked up at him and asked him a question, Liam had blinked. When did he figure out he loved Mattie? He actually wanted to know…? "Well…you know the day when you were doing your French homework? It was the day that I tried to explain the difference between love and friendship." The blond haired boy still looked confused. Gaaah! "It was around the winter time the week after Cole confessed his own love for you. When I was trying to explain the difference between friendship and love I realized all the things that I described for love sounded like the things I did for you, or how I felt." Liam said as he felt his face flush some more. Averting his eyes to the side, he had sighed. "That was why I stopped so suddenly in the middle of explaining it to you… " Liam told the boy with a nod.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu looked at the boy lightly and listened as he spoke. As the boy spoke... he honestly did not really remember the exact day that Liam was talking about. Well... he remembered it. That was only because that was the day that he had told Liam about his mother... that had been the day that Liam had found his locket. He didn't remember it as the day that Liam had explained about love. "I... I kind of remember that. But not for the same reasons as you..." he said slowly, looking down once more. So... that was how Liam really felt? What a strange feeling to know that some he was close to felt that way. He knew that COLE felt that way about it... but that was different. That was a lot different. He had to live with Liam... and... well, he liked Liam to. He just wasn't sure if how he felt to Liam was the same. Guh! What a strange and confusing emotion! The male squirmed a bit, but didn't move to let the boys arm go. He didn't want Liam to go and take a shower and leave him alone to think. "I..." The boy frowned and stared down at the bed, concentrating on nothing really. "I don't know..."

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam let his eyes continue to stare down at the boy as he waited for some kind of reply. When the boy said he remembered the day but not the way he remembered it had confused him. Eh? -Ooh, the locket. Right. That had happened a few hours after the confessing. Liam decided not to bring that up as the younger male started to squirm a little with his arm still in Mathieu's grip. Liam had frowned as the boy muttered out that he didn't know. He was obviously confused and uncertain on what to say, huh? Well he didn't know what else to say to the male. He laid it out on how he felt and that was that…

Liam was going to reply and tell the other to think about it, but another idea struck him. Well…, maybe a kiss could help? If Mattie felt nothing he will pull back, and that would be it. If it was the other way around…then…joy for him. Heh. Taking in a deep breath Liam had suddenly used his free hand to touch Mattie's cheek gently. "If you still don't know…then maybe _'this' _will help you find the answer you are trying to find." With that said Liam had forced down the butterflies in his stomach and moved his lips to touch Mattieu's lips in a soft kiss. He could feel his head spin in a strange way by the contact of Mattie's lips against his own. Surprisingly enough Liam had never ever been in any sort of relation or attempted one until now. He had a few people flaunt over him, but he never took any interest in either of them.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu stared at the floor and muttered something under his breath in French, but froze as there was a hand on his face. He allowed the other to move his face upwards and blinked lightly at the boy as he spoke. Huh? What was Liam talking about? Before Matthieu could open his mouth and say anything... Liam was... Waah! Liam was KISSING HIM! The boy felt his face turn red, his stomach turn, his eyes widen and his head spin all at the same time. Guuh! Was this... a good feeling? Yes, he liked it. It didn't hurt but... it was so weird at the same time. The boy was frozen there for a few moments, what seemed like hours, unsure of exactly what to do... After a bit the boy realized... he didn't WANT the other to pull away. So before he could he let his own eyes close as he moved his lips, just somewhat awkwardly, to return the kiss. He didn't even know if he was doing it right! It was such... a weird feeling he had.

After a moment, when he realized that he needed to breath, the boy broke the kiss and instantly rested his head against the others chest, mostly hoping to his hide red face. "I.. I guess that means yes?" he asked with a small breathless laugh, his face only getting redder at the sound of his own voice. Ugh, this was sooo awkward!

_(Liam's POV)_

While lip-locked with Mattie, Liam had let his red eyes closed slowly. Who knew kissing someone could feel something like this? It was a strange, but…it was an enjoyable feeling. Not to mention it was overwhelming. He could feel his face burning from the blushing. It was making him hotter than he already was and the AC was kicking high too. However Liam did not feel any movement from Mattie's lips, but at the same time…he was not pulling away either. Liam did not know if that was a good thing or not, but he was not going to break away just yet. No way. Liam moved the hand that was on Mattie's cheek into the boy's blonde locks slowly as he waited for something to happen. Moments after that…he felt Mattie kissing him back slowly. Liam's eyes shot open, but slowly closed afterwards. Smiling under the kiss, he allowed it to play on a little longer. His stomach was flipping like crazy, heh.

When Mattie broke away from the kiss, Liam's eyes had slowly opened and he watched as the boy rested his head against his chest. Liam chuckled a little, but allowed his arms to wrap around the smaller boy's frame. "It seems so... " Liam said with a small smirk as he held the boy close to him. Well, this felt nice. He hadn't expected this to happen, but he was glad that it did. "You surely are cute. " The male teased before resting his head on top of Mattie's head.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu felt his face grow even hotter when the other wrapped his arms around him and spoke. Guh! He felt like his face was going to burn right off. This was really... really embarrassing. It only got worse when the other boy called him CUTE? He wasn't cute! The boy whined and shook his head against Liam's chest making a light 'nu-u' sound, his hands moving up beside his body so he could grip the other males shirt tightly. He only stopped moving when he felt the others head rest down against his. For some reason he felt... really safe. He already knew that he was safe in Liam's apartment and under his watch... but this felt a lot different. He was safe... he knew that... but this was something just a little... different. It was nice. What was even better about this entire thing... Liam completely forgot what he had been yelling about not even five minutes ago. This wasn't QUITE the subject change he had hoped for or wanted, but it worked... so much better then he could have imagines. If Matthieu, moments before, had been told to pick the disruption to get the conversation away from his scars... it would have been a cell phone ringing.. or someone at the door. Not this... this was better than he could have thought.

The boy squirmed in the others grip and looked up, wrinkling his nose lightly. "You need a shower." he joked then laughed. Matthieu really just wanted to escape and go and 'focus' on his homework before Liam could remember what had started this entire little... confession scene... love fest thing. Hopefully Liam would forget... by the time he remembered it hopefully they would be in bed or he would be cooking or studying for his exam. "And I need to study for my exam tomorrow." He smiled brightly up at the male before pulling fully from him and heading back into the living room to work on his French.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam laughed as the other had whiled against his chest before holding on tightly to his shirt. The boy nuzzled his head against Mattie's head until the smaller boy had pulled away from him. Liam gave the boy a questioning look when he noticed the other's nose wrinkling. Liam felt an anime sweat drop form on the side of his head when the other told him he needed a shower. "Do I stink that bad?" Liam asked with a grunt before allowing himself to watch Mattie pull away completely. " Oh right I forgot about that. Well, I'll go get a shower while you study." Ruffling the boy's hair, he had made his way out of the room.

The red haired male paused when he forgot to get his pajamas. Shit! That was the main reason why he went into his room in the first place. "Oh god dammit!" Groaning, he turned on the heel of his foot and walked back into his bedroom. "Sorry, I forgot my clothes." Liam laughed as he had gone over to the closet to grab a pair of pajama pants and a shirt. Heading out of the room for the second time, he had walked into the bathroom while shutting the door behind him.

Liam had tossed his clothes onto the sink before turning on the shower. The male waited until the water was warm enough before stepping inside.

**-After Shower.-**

Liam had just finished taking a long shower and it felt nice. Heh. The male used a towel to dry his hair before slipping on a pair of black pajama pants and a white shirt. Heading out of the bathroom the male headed into the room only to see a knocked over hamper. "Damn, I forgot that I kicked that. " Liam laughed before setting the hamper right side up before dropping his dirty clothes into it. Moving a hand into his hair, he yawned and turned around to head back into the living room. "

Are you still studying kiddo? " Liam asked as he entered the living room only to find Mattie on the floor. When the boy had glanced up at him in horror it had caused Liam to make a face. "Something wrong…? "

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu had just sat down at the table when Liam walked into the hall way, then back out laughing that he forgot his clothing. "Smooth." he teased and grabbed his backpack and pulled it toward him. He ignored the other boy as he walked by again and instead yanked his French binder out of his bag and set it onto the table. After a moment he dug for his pencil and sighed. Time for studying.

the boy hadn't gotten even half way thorough his first study sheet when Liam came back out. "Yeah, I still have a -" Matthieu froze and looked up as the other came into his view. Fuck... Liam's hair was.. BLACK? WHAT? Wait... oh no. Oh. No. OH NO! The dye that Matthieu had left in the bathroom from last weekend! The black dye he used to dye one of his sweaters! Liam had used it by mistake! The boy felt his eyes widen in fear. "Liam! I am so sorry!" he cried, his purple eyes filling with tears. "I told you... I should have taken it out of the bathroom instead of leaving it there.. I am SO sorry!"

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had moved a hand into his hair as the other started to burst out in apologies. What? Why was he apologizing? Gah! The boy was even beginning to cry now! "Why are you aplogi-and stop crying! What did-" The taller male had paused in the middle of his question when the other boy said that he should not have left 'it' there in the bathroom. Eh? "…Left…what? What on earth are you blabbering about?" Liam gave the other a questioning look, but soon after Mattie told him to go look in the mirror. "Okay… " Liam had given Mattie a weird look, but had walked back into the bathroom anyways. Once the older male had looked in the mirror his eyes had widened. "FUCCCCK!" The male cursed as loudly as he could as he grabbed a hold onto the sink.

HIS…HAIR…WAS…BLACK! BLACK! NOT RED…BLACK! DAMMIT! Even in the light it kind of looked blue. Why did he have to be so fucking stupid and grab THAT bottle? WHY! He looked…so…not like before! He loved his red hair and orange streaks! FUCK! Liam stopped mentally cursing at himself when he could hear Mattie apologizing some more after his 'FUCK' comment. Leaving the bathroom, he had sighed heavily. "Stop crying…, it's fine. I'll just wait until the black fades out ok? It isn't like you meant for this to happen. I should have been more careful and watched which bottle I grabbed." Liam sighed as he sat down onto his couch. Why couldn't it have been any other color? Maybe even orange! Or gree-no…fuck that. If his hair was green he would look like a Christmas tree with his red eyes. God this sucks ass.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Obviously... Liam did not look in the mirror at himself while he got dressed and ready for bed. Matthieu watched with fearful eyes as the other turned and went back into the bathroom. Seconds later, a loud 'fuck'. "Waaah! I'm so sorry, Liam!" he cried, now openly crying as he jumped up from the ground. He could tell that Liam was angry. He knew that the boy loved his hair... as weird and vain as that sounded... but he did. Matthieu had always liked the boys red and orange hair... they went so well with his eyes. But now... it was black. "This is all my fault! I'm so so sorry, Liam! I didn't mean to! I should have taken it out and put it with my art things instead of leaving it out! I'm so irresponsible! i'm so sorry!" he cried as the boy came out of the bathroom sighing and speaking. No... Liam was just saying that. He was angry, Matthieu could just tell. "I'm so sorry." he sobbed as he dropped down onto the couch. "I-It's not fine! How can you say that? Look at your hair! I-it'll come out, but that will take forever!" he cried and rubbed his eyes against the sleeve of his sweater. "I feel awful!"

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam felt an anime sweat drop form on his forehead when the boy had sat upon the couch and continued to apologize. Sighing, he moved both hands to the boy's cheeks and pinched them playfully. "Stop crying ok? I we can't go back and change the past now. It is not as if my hair will be this way until the day I die either. I'll just have to get use to it…for the time being." Liam said with a small sigh before releasing the boy's cheeks and had moved a hand to ruffle his hair. " If you keep crying you will never be able to finish studying." Liam pointed out as he poked Mathieu's forehead gently. Yeah he wasn't too happy about his new…hair color, but it wasn't Mattie's fault. It was his own fault for being fucking stupid for not realizing it. Ugh the guys at work are either going to gave him a strange look thinking he changed his style, or laugh at him.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu pulled his arm away from his face and winced as his face was pulled on. Why did he do THAT? When the other let go he moved one hand up to his cheek and rubbed it lightly and listened as the spoke. "I guess..." he said softly, looking down at his lap. "But the guys are going to make fun of you..." The boy fumbled with his sleeve and sighed. Shit... he was playing with his sleeve. But... in this weather and after what happened...he had to be careful or Liam would remember... earlier. Matthieu let out a defeated sigh and rubbed his eyes again. "Fine... but I still feel really... really bad." he asked and slid off the couch and back down to where he was working. The boy pushed some hair from his face tiredly and picked up his pencil before staring down at his paper. He really... really didn't want to study. He wanted to sleep! Ah well... he had to study for his exam tomorrow!

_(Liam's POV)_

"Don't worry about them teasing me about my hair color. It isn't like it is pink." Liam shuddered at the thought of having pink hair as he watched Mattie rub his teary eyes. Well, at least he had stopped crying now. "I know you feel bad, but try not to let it bother you alright? I'm fine. " Liam said with a small smile as the boy slid off the couch to finish studying. Bah he was hungry now. "I'm going to get a snack, ok?" With that said the male had gotten off the couch and headed into the kitchen.

_(Mattie's POV)_

PINK? Well... maybe black wasn't THAT bad.. After all, it wasn't pink! The male shook his head and let out a little sigh as the other spoke again. "I'll try." he muttered. When the other stood up and mentioned a snack, Matthieu felt his eyes brighten. "Bring me one too, please?" he asked the boy as he disappeared into the kitchen. Turning back to his homework... he then realized that there was just no WAY he would be getting ANYTHING done. Had... all of this really happened in one day? Liam finding out about his scars (and forgetting them), the confession... the dye? Waah! What a long day! The male set his pencil down and folded his arms on the table and rested his head in them. This was such a ridiculous day... but was that really a bad thing? No... no it wasn't. Today was a good day, he just couldn't study. Matthieu sighed and turned his head to look at the kitchen where Liam was. Moments later, he closed his eyes just for a moment... and was asleep.

_(Liam's POV)_

"Alright!" Liam called back to the boy when Mattie told him he wanted a snack as well. The currently black haired male glanced around the kitchen before grabbing two small fun sized sour cream and onion chips. The male turned around and walked out of the kitchen before entering the living room. " Hey, I got some chips for us-" Liam stopped in his sentence when he spotted Mattie asleep. Liam had chuckled softly at the sight before setting the chips down onto the coffee table. Without saying a word, Liam had scooped the smaller boy into his arms. Still light as ever that was for certain. Liam walked down the hallway and into his bedroom before laying Mattie on top of the bed. Liam had managed to pull the boy's glasses off without waking him. The male had grabbed Kumajiro from the bed and stuffed it in Mattie's arms softly. "Eh, I might as well go to bed too." Liam walked over to the door to shut and lock it before walking back to the bed. Liam had crawled under the blankets before pulling them over so they were covering Mattie too. Liam had set his head onto his pillow before scooting close to Mattie. After a moment or so, he had then closed his eyes.

**WELL! That is the end of chapter 10! I hoped you enjoyed it! Anddd~ Please review! Lool…I feel so bad for Liam's new hair color change. XD;**


	11. Pouty Cole

_ELEVENTH CHAPTER! :D_

**Sorry it took me a while to post this. I've been busy all week and sooo effing tired. Lol~!**

**(~Continuing where I left off.~)**

_(Mattie's POV)_

Warm... there was something to warm right next to him. He wanted to moved closer to it and sleep deeper... but the sun. It was up and telling him to wake up. The boy groaned to himself and winced in his sleep before he let his eyes open slowly. The first thing he saw... some stranger with black hair! GAAAH! The boy froze, but was thankful when he then remembered before he screamed it was Liam. Oh yeah... the hair thing that had happened... yesterday. Damn it! He still felt back about that! The next thing he noticed... was how very... very close he was laying next to the boy. Very close. The male flushed and wiggled backwards and.. THUMP. He was off the bed now! The boy blinked and stared at the ceiling before sitting up and grabbed his glasses and putting them on. Yep.. Liam. Ugh, they had been so close! The male flushed again before struggling to stand up and darting out of the room.

The boy took a long shower and ended up in the kitchen making pancakes.. just like every morning. Just like every morning as well, The AC was on full blast and Matthieu was in his long sleeved sweater, his usual pants, and his usual converse. Only, this morning, he was remembering the previous conversation. The male fumbled with his sleeve lightly and flipped the pancake with his free hand. There was nothing... NOTHING he wanted more than for Liam to completely forget that conversation. Hopefully... hopefully it wouldn't be brought up. And he had that French exam today... uuugh. What a day it was going to be! "Merde, C'est tellement stressant!" he cursed under his breath before sighing. He had to stop thinking about it now... it wouldn't do him any good to be stressing like that. His French exam would go fine, and Liam would eat his pancakes like any other day.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam was sleeping comfortably next to Mattie, but soon enough he felt the warmth near him faded away. "Nnn… " The boy whined in his half awaken state as he rolled onto his stomach and pulled the blankets over him. He did not want to get up! He was so comfortable…and warm…and -pancakes? Liam had poked his head out of the blankets when he smelt pancakes. Mm…a pancake was worth getting out of bed. Liam kicked the blankets away from him before getting off the bed. The male walked over to the closet and lazily changed into a pair of jeans and a red beater. Heading out of the bedroom quickly Liam had followed the scent of pancakes. "Fooood…" Liam whined hungrily as he entered the kitchen just as Mattie placed a plate of pancakes on the table. "Hehe…"

Liam walked over to his usual chair and plopped down into it before grabbing a fork. Oh how he loved Mattie's pancakes. He could never get tired of them, but he wondered at times if Mattie did. Heh. Taking a bite out of the pancake, he glanced up at the smaller male. "o, what're oo g'nna make fer d'nner?" Liam asked the boy with his mouth full of pancakes. Chewing the rest down, he had stretched lightly as he twirled a fork in-between his fingers. When the boy answered him, he had smirked. "Sounds good to me!"

**(IN CAR! ROOOOM ROOOOM -I SEE A BUNNY! NO…IT IS A BAT! NO…I need to stfu. XD)**

Liam had just gotten into his car and instantly turned on the AC. Today was even hotter than before! Well, it was not so much of the hotness…it was the humidity. Ugh. The male waited for Mattie to head inside the car and put on his seatbelt before he drove away. While heading down the road Liam happened to glance in his review mirror. "WHAT THE FUCK-Oh…right…I remember-CRAP!" Liam was too busy cussing at himself that he had accidentally ran a red light which had caused people to beep at him. Damn it…he forgot about his hair being black. This was going to take some time getting use to! Not to mention the gang was going to see his new hair color. Fuck…

The male snapped out of his thoughts when Mattie started to apologize quickly. "

No! It is fine! I just forgot…that my hair is black. " Liam tried to reassure the boy as he pulled into the school parking lot. When the boy had unbuckled his seatbelt and gotten out of the car. "Mattie wait!" Liam had climbed over to the passenger seat before tugging on Mattie's hand. Liam pulled the boy close to him before planting a kiss on the blonde haired boy's lips. Liam let it play for a small while before pulling away. Some of the kids that were arriving to school as well saw the kiss and stared at them. However, he ignored them. "Good luck on your French exam. You will do fine. I'll see you later, ok?" The male smirked at the flushed Mattie before crawling over to the driver seat and shutting the passenger door.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu sighed lightly and flipped four pancakes onto a plate - Liam's usual helping - just as the male came in.. "Perfect timing!" he smiled and set the plate down on the table in front of him. Just as he walked back to the stove.. he heard the boys questions. Right away he laughed. He had told Liam NOT to talk with his mouth full... and he ignored him again as usual. Luckily he was used to the boy talking like that. "Chicken and Rice!" he said cheerfully as he set two pancakes on a plate for himself. As worried and scared as he was for his French exam... if he didn't eat, he knew that he would be miserable. "Yes, it will be quite good!" he said with a grin as he sat to eat.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Matthieu hurriedly locked the apartment door behind him and ran over to the car. At the last minute he had decided to grab Kumajiro as a good luck charm. Now he didn't have to worry about anyone taking his bag or looking into it with Cole always around him so Kumajiro would be perfectly safe in his bag. He male dropped into the car and huffed tiredly as he yanked the car door close and fastened his seat belt. He leaned back tiredly and winced as just as he got comfortable, Liam yelled. About his hair. The boy instantly stared down at his hands and frowned. "I'm sorry..." he said softly. Almost right away, as expected, the other defended him and played it off as no big deal. Forgot? That couldn't be true... otherwise Liam was a very forgetful person... and he wasn't.

Once they pulled up to the school, the male unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, his bag slung over one shoulder. "See you la-" He stopped and looked down at the male as he suddenly yelled wait? "Huh?" he asked. The male blinked and let out a sound as his hand was pulled and then... he was being KISSED? The male froze and flushed. Well... now he knew that the confession the night before had been real. It hadn't been a joke or whatever else he could think of. It was... real. From the surprise and randomness of the event, Matthieu didn't get the chance to kiss back before the other broke it and wished him luck on his test. "T-thanks?" he asked and blinked at the male, frozen in place with his face red as the other drove off. Matthieu didn't move for a few seconds before blushing harder and turning and walking into the school, his head down.

"Shoo shoo! I said out, Liam! I know that they're making fun of you, but you keep getting in my way! This kitchen is huge and you still manage it! Go on, out!" With one final shove, his face red, the boy pushed Liam from the kitchen and closed the door. School had... actually put him in a wonderful mood. There was a sub in English and his French exam had been SO easy! After school they went right to the base and he had started to cook. As expected... Liam was made fun of the second he walked in. Jared had almost shot him... then had started to laugh. Matthieu could SWEAR he could still hear the male laughing at him. However, after Liam came in to 'help' him... it got just a bit distracting. Liam had started to be helpful... then started to kiss him and hug him and pull him. They had been 'together' - as Liam had started to put it - less than a DAY! This was not something that he was going to get used to so the SECOND that Matthieu got the chance... he kicked Liam out. He did feel bad about it... since Liam had to go back out into the main room... but he had to finish cooking!

_(Liam's POV)_

Well after picking up Mattie from school the two had went straight to the base for dinner. When he entered the warehouse Jared had literally almost shot him! Damn hair color! Did he look that different without his usual red and orange hair? Jared had of course, demanded to know what had happened. Liam explained the situation to Jared, and it caused the brunette to snickered. Liam told him to stop it, but Jared had then made a comment that went along the lines of "Haha, you should keep it. Why change it if your boyfriend likes it?" Liam being the idiot that he was thought Jared had found out about his and Mattie's relationship, so he spilled the beans about him and Mattie. Jared gave him a look, but had then started to laugh harder since Jared in all honesty didn't know they were dating.

Cole who had entered the room once he had mentioned the relationship had heard the conversation between himself and Jared and the expression on his face turned into a sad one. In a way he felt bad, but at the same time he didn't. Currently Liam was in the kitchen with his arms around Mattie's waist as he kissed the boy's cheek playfully. He did not want to go back into the main room where everyone was since they were STILL laughing. Ever since he spilled the beans about him and Mattie dating half of the guys were mindfucked. They hadn't a clue that he was gay. Hell at first he didn't even know it himself. Ah well. "Pfft, they can wait for their food. " Liam snickered as Mattie started to whine because he was distracting him. However the smaller boy had managed to escape from him and shove him out the room. "H-Heey! Matt-oh fine." Sighing, he walked into the room.

Hearing the laughter still going on from most of the guys, he had made a face. "Stop the laughter will ya? Okay! My hair is black! I am gay! I get it! Shut the fuck up!" The male shouted loudly before plopping down in his usual chair.

_(Cole's POV)_

Well today Mattie was coming to the base to cook and he was excited! Hehe! However, he was late due to the fact he had to stop and get gas. Heh. Cole pulled into his normal parking space near a tree before turning the truck off. Hopping out of it, he shut and locked the door. Cole was wearing a pair of red skinny jeans with black platforms. The male wore a white short sleeved shirt and a black and red striped tie. Hehe, he loved ties. The boy had just pushed open the door when he heard Liam announce '_How do you know about me and Mattie dating!' _to a laughing Jared. Cole felt his heart stop and his arms fall to his side limp. What…? Liam was dating Mattie? Liam…was GAY? The boy felt himself frown as Liam noticed him standing there at the doorway and suddenly took off to the kitchen.

His once bubbly mood was gone and replaced by a sad one. His eyes shot over to Jared then back over to the kitchen door. Even though he had been rejected by Mathieu in the past he still hoped for a chance with the boy once they got to know each other better. However that didn't seem to be the case since Mattie…chose Liam. How could he be so blind? Jared warned him multiple times about Liam and Mattie, but he thought nothing of it since Mathieu talked about Liam like in an older brother kind of sense. It was his fault for not being aware of it all, but it still hurt…a lot. Cole finally broken free from his thoughts when some of the members spoken to him saying _'I can't believe he's gay! Hahaha!' _Cole winced at the words, but had allowed himself to blink in confusion when another male said _'See his hair? HAH!' _Wait…what about his hair? Oh, it was black. He didn't even noticed since he was too wrapped in the convo the male had with Jared. Eh.

The boy made his way over to his beanbag chair and plopped down into it. Cole pulled once knee to his chest as he set an elbow on top of it. The spiky haired boy allowed his cheek to rest on the palm of his hand as he stared off to the side. He was no longer hungry now…and he wanted to go home. The boy pulled away from his thoughts when Liam came back into the room yelling at everyone who was laughing at him. Yeah…he really wanted to go home now.

_(Jared's POV)_

This was a fucking awesome day. He had started the day beating some of the noobs of the gang, newer than Cole even and ones who had yet to find their place, then he almost shot Liam. Why? Because the fucking idiot dyed his hair black on ACCIDENT. What the fuck was he doing in the shower that he couldn't realize that he picked up a bottle of BLACK DYE? What a fucking moron! Ahaha! For the longest time he and the others could NOT stop laughing. Liam got more and more pissed off and it got more and more funny. At some point in the conversation, Mattie had come out to give them drinks, shyly complimented the boys hair to make him stop acting like a girl and bitching then left. Once Mattie was out of the room Jared asked in a teasing manner, "You know, your boyfriend over there seems to really like it. Why change it back?" Apparently... they were actually dating. Jared knew there was something between them... but fuck buddies? After he got over the shock of Liam's comment... the laughter started all over again. It was about that time that Cole came in, late as usual, and wanted to know what was going on. And when he found out.. he fell quiet and took his seat and had been there since. Jared, obviously, knew WHY the kid was silent but everyone else was ignoring him or sending him weird looks. Cole was NEVER quiet, the idiot boy actually never shut up. For the moment, Jared let the kid wallow in his own pain and started to taunt Liam with someone who wasn't as uncomfortable and weirded out by it as a lot of people were.

A little while later, Liam came back looking just a bit.. pouty. "Kicked out of the kitchen by your lovely wife?" he teased then roared with laughter as the other screamed at him and the others. Oh, this was fucking PERFECT! Liam being Liam knew it wouldn't last to long, but while it did he was going to fucking enjoy it. This would get old REALLY quick. The black would likely wash out and Jared knew Mattie and Liam would get together. He TOLD Cole that... but the idiot had ignored him and now look. He was sitting in his fucking chair being fucking miserable. What a little idiot.

Wait... why did he care what Cole was doing?

"Kid!" he snapped and tossed a sharpie that had been on the desk beside him over to Cole. He motioned for the boy to come here so he didn't have to yell over the teasings and shouts that were at Liam's expense. When the kid was beside him he motioned to his empty beer bottle. "Go get me another one, and not from the fucking ice chest. The fridge in the damn kitchen. That last fucker got my beer from the ice chest." He turned his head and glared at the idiot, who was very sore, before looking back to Cole and waving him off. "Take your time though," he said with a grin.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had made a face when Jared had teased Liam with the comment _"Kicked out of the kitchen by your lovely wife?"_ Of course this only made Liam even more pissy and replied back with a _"…Wife? Whatever. He only told me to leave because I was distracting him." _Cole tore his eyes away from the two when he noticed Liam staring his way. His hand moved to play with the chain to his lip ring as some of the people gave him looks. Everyone was use to him being loud, hyper and quite the talker…so if he was being quiet it wasn't normal in their eyes. Jared of course probably knew exactly what was wrong, but didn't show any sign of it and ignored him.

Cole had just let a sigh escape his lips when Jared directed his attention towards him. Cole allowed his blue eyes to stare at the male before getting off the beanbag and heading over. The boy had shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited for Jared to speak. Oh it fucking figures. Jared ALWAYS needed a beer. That man might as well have hired him as his personal maid because that is what he felt like half of the fucking time. Then again if he said that out loud he would get a beating along with a _'You are the one living under my roof. I could easily kick you out anytime I want to.'_ Bah.

The boy could feel his eye twitch when the other told him to get the beer from the fridge and to take his time. Now he was just taunting him! UGH! Grunting, he turned around and headed over to the kitchen. Pushing the door open there was Mattie cooking away. He did not want to be around the boy since Mathieu would be able to sense something was wrong. Quietly, he opened the fridge to grab a beer, but Mattie noticed him anyways. Cole stared at the fridge mentally cursing as the male seemed happy to see him. " I'll be out of you way in a second. Jared wants a beer." Cole replied as he tried to hurry out the door, but Mattie stopped him saying that it was no trouble at all. However as expected Mattie could sense something was wrong. " I'm fine, I…just don't feel very well." Cole nodded as he held the cold beer in his hand.

_(Mattie's POV)_

_"Sur un tissu très très doux_

_Je dessine je dessine_

_Sur un tissu très très doux_

_Je dessine des bisous_

_Pour la fête de Maman_

_Je dessine je dessine_

_Pour la fête des mamans_

_Je dessine en m'appliquant."_

Matthieu smiled to himself and let small chuckle escape his lips as he finished fixing the last of the bread. Chicken and Rice with Garlic Bread wasn't the BEST mixture of flavors, but ever since he had made spaghetti and garlic bread a few weeks ago, the gang had become like Liam was with pancakes. They wanted it with EVERYTHING. He chuckled to himself once more before sliding the pan into the oven just as the kitchen door opened behind him. For the moment he ignored it. Chances were that it was just Liam coming in to bother him more. It wasn't until the fridge was open that he noticed... it was Cole! "Oh! Hello, Cole!" he said with a cheerful smile. He laughed a bit as the other spoke again. He was always complaining to the other about how people came in because they were hungry and got in his way while he cooked. Cole probably had his speech memorized. Most of it was just complaining... but Cole always listened. "Oh no no! I don't mind you being in here! I just finished what i needed to do anyways!" he said then let his smile fade slowly. Something was wrong. Cole was distracted, that he could plainly see. But... there was something else off. There was something wrong with him. Matthieu never escaped seeing Cole without a getting hug and now that he wasn't getting one... he just KNEW something was wrong. Cole wasn't his usual.. cheerful self. This bothered Matthieu. A lot. "Cole, wait!" he cried and walked over, grabbing the boys arm gently. "What's wrong?"

At the reply, Matthieu frowned. "Jared can wait for his beer." he said gently and took it from his hands. The boy led the other to the table and sat him down gently, setting the beer off to the side carelessly. God, he hated beer. He hated the smell and what it did to people... guh. So disgusting. "Perhaps you should eat something and then go lie down?" he asked softly before moving his hand to feel Cole's forehead. Hmm.. his head wasn't warm. There was something more than Cole was saying... there was something that he wasn't being told. He didn't like that whatever was bothering Cole he wasn't saying it... Cole knew he could trust him... right? "Hmm, well you don't feel warm.." Matthieu frowned and examined Cole carefully. There was defiantly something here that he wasn't being told. He didn't like this. "Cole, please tell me what's wrong." he said after the other told him again that he just didn't feel well. "I know you better than I know anyone... and you know.." He paused and hesitated before sitting down. This could turn out awkward... and it felt weird to be saying but... ah. He really wanted to know why his friend was so bothered. "You know you're my best friend, right? You know you can tell me anything and i won't tell anyone..." he said slowly, looking carefully at the blue eyed boy. Did Cole know that he could trust him? He would hate if he didn't... Cole was his friend and he wanted to be there for the boy no matter what happened.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole just wanted to leave the kitchen and sulk in his beanbag chair, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. Cole blinked as Mattie removed the beer from his now cold hand. The next thing he knew was that he was now currently sitting in the chair. Cole's blue eyes happened to gaze up at Mattie when he suggested that he should eat then go lie down. "No it is fine…I'm not that hungry to be honest… " Cole told the male as he stared down at the table. However when he felt his forehead being touched his eyes instantly shot up at the boy. Of course he wasn't warm…he didn't feel that kind of sick. However Mattie didn't know that. Cole had frowned when the other started to beg for him to tell the boy what was wrong. God dammit Mattie wasn't giving up was he?

The boy was going to say something, but the whole _"You know you're my best friend, right? You know you can tell me anything and I won't tell anyone..."_ cause him to stop. His best friend, huh? Well that did make him feel slightly better, but in the same sense if he told Mattie what was wrong he would only upset the boy. Cole sighed heavily before replying to the other. "Thanks… and I suppose I can tell you. Just…try not to be sad ok?" Cole asked the male before leaning back in the chair. "I walked in the warehouse overhearing a conversation Liam and Jared were having…about you two being in a relationship. I guess…I'm kind of bummed about it and jealous. I mean I'm happy…that you are happy, but at the same time I guess I kind of had this idea that maybe we would have a chance. Obviously that isn't the case. " Cole said with a frown as he placed his elbow on the table. Moving his cheek into the palm of his hand, he had sighed. "I'm sorry." Cole apologized before looking at the boy. "It isn't your fault…, it is just something I will have to get over I guess… "

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu started to smile as the other spoke, but froze as he asked him to try and not be sad? What on earth did he mean by that? He blinked lightly and nodded in agreement without saying anything as the other explained. Almost right away he paled. It was HIS fault that Cole was acting this way? No! He didn't want Cole to be sad about this! He hadn't even thought about how Cole might react to finding out that he and Liam were dating. He should have been the one to tell him. Shit! Merde! The male frowned and stared down at his hands as the other continued. "No, you shouldn't be sorry. I should be the one apologizing." he said softly. "I should have been the one to tell you. It's not fair that you had to find out this way... but it only happened yesterday and this morning I was so distracted by my French exam..." he said then looked up, frowning lightly. "You really are my best friend, Cole. I hope that... this doesn't affect that."

The male fell silent and fumbled with his sweater as he looked down again. He knew that Cole told him not to feel bad... but he really couldn't help it! Ugh! This was miserable. Cole was his best friend... but he liked Liam to. Cole wasn't asking him to pick, thank goodness... but he still felt so bad. The boy ran his hands through his hair and looked up, offering a small smile. "If you'd like... I can offer something to make you feel better. There's something that not even Liam knows... that... well, I probably won't tell him until I have to. Would it make you feel better if I told you? I think that it would only be fair... and... I feel like I should tell you." He knew he could trust Cole with this secret. He could trust Liam to... he just didn't want to tell him. It was something awkward to talk about and Liam would ask more and more questions while Cole would just be curious and happy that he knew about it. Liam knew about his scars and Cole didn't... but chances were that he would find out soon enough. Swimming classes were coming up... and they were mandatory. He'd have to find SOME way out of it and Cole would probably be the one to help him get out of it so he wouldn't have to drag in Liam. Liam would be upset if he found out that Matthieu hadn't gone to him for help... but it would just be easier this way. He knew he could trust Cole.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had blinked at the boy when mentioned he should be the one apologizing. Cole shook his head to each side before resting his other arm on the table. "No you shouldn't be apologizing either. " The spiky haired boy had told the other as Mattie ranted on how that Liam and Mattie only got together yesterday. Ahh. Cole sighed lightly as the boy in front of him spoken. "No it won't affect our friendship." Cole said with a soft nod towards the male. Yeah it may take some time getting use to the fact of Mattie being with someone else, but he didn't want to loose the boy as a friend. At least he could cherish that much of him in a way.

The boy had given Mathieu a look when the other happened to look up at him and smile. Offer something that would make him feel better? What kind of offer? Something that Liam didn't even know about? His blue eyes widened and he felt smile. "Sure you can tell me! My lips are sealed! I won't say a word to anyone." Hell if it was something not even Liam knew about then he was all ears! What secret was it though? He couldn't even think of anything, but quickly allowed himself to focus back into reality. "Go ahead you can tell me." Cole insisted with a continuous nod.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu smiled seeing how the boys eyes lit up at the mention of the secret. He wasn't sure if it was curiosity or just the fact that Liam didn't know... it was likely a mixture of the two. He smiled and nodded gently as the other spoke all happy. Ah, good. It had worked in making Cole get happy again. If it meant Cole forgetting he and Liam were dating... he would probably even tell the boy about his scars. "I know you won't tell." he said and laughed as the other urged him again to tell. "I can trust you." he said with another nod and looked off at... nothing.

"I have an older sister." It was... very weird saying that out loud. He hadn't spoken of or thought of his older sister since... since his mother had died. He hadn't FORGOT his sister.. natural pink hair? He had asked her about the, those had actually been the first words out of his mouth seeing the girl. She and her mother only laughed at the confused boy and smiled. That first meeting had been the only meeting but he would never forget her face. After his sister had left, his mother took him aside and asked him to never forget her. Two days later she died... so Matthieu did as she asked and never forgot his sister. He didn't think about her all the time, of course, but he still remembered her. "She's my half sister, actually. Older than me, but I haven't seen her since I was very.. very young."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole waited excitedly for the other to tell him what the secret that not even Liam knew about. Cole was nearly bouncing in his seat due to anticipation. The spiky blue haired boy had let his eyes widen when the boy said he had a older sister. "…You have a sister?" The boy had asked with a blink as he stared at the male who seemed lost in his own little world. That was definitely something interesting. He never expected the other to have a sister and Mattie didn't give him any signs that he did either which was odd. The light blue haired male pulled loose from his thoughts when Mattie added on that she was his 'half' sister and that he hadn't seen her since he was little. Aw…that was so sad.

"Do…you know where she might live anything? That's so sad. I bet she is just as nice as you. I'm sure of it." Cole said with a toothy grin before blinking a little.

"What is her name? What does she look like? Do you remember?" Cole asked the boy curiously as he kicked his feet back and forth. He wished he had a sibling…, but sadly enough he didn't have one. Mom kicked the bucket after he was born and his dad never found a lady friend. Eh. He didn't even speak to his father anymore. Their personalities were the complete opposite and they argued constantly. It was one of the reasons why he left home.

The boy pulled away from his thoughts before smiling over at Mattie. "Ya know it would be cool if you could see her again someday. Long lost siblings, hehe." Cole said with a grin before blinking. "Shit. I better give Jared his beer or he will probably come in here raging like a dinosaur."

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu pulled from his own world and looked at Cole curiously as he spoke. Haha, he looked surprised! "I don't know anything about her other than what i learned when i was young." he said, resting his elbow on the table then his chin into his palm. "Her name is Layla, and of course I remember what she looks like, though you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He laughed as he remembering his sisters curly light pink hair. She and his mother had sworn to him over and over that it was real. Ah, what a day that had been. "I really how that I can see her again someday." he said and sighed gently.

The boy pulled from his thoughts and straightened as Cole spoke again,. "You have a point." he said with a laugh and stood up. He paused long enough to turn to look at the oven before he turned and looked to Cole just as he was almost out of the kitchen. "Hey, Cole?" he asked then smiled as the other turned back to him. "Do you think you can come back and help me when you give Jared his beer? I would ask Liam... but he gets in the way more than he helps."

**END! This chapter is a bit short compared to the others, but the next chapter should be interesting. ;D Teehee!**


	12. Jared's Secret

_TWELFTH CHAPTER! ;D_

**Expect the unexpected? Lool. Okay this chapter is going to be really…long, sooo yeah. XD; **

**(~Continuing where I left off.~)**

_This is later on at Jared's house the same night after the talk with Mattie and Cole._

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole stretched a little as he plopped down onto the couch as he and Jared started to watch some television program. However…he felt somewhat awkward being around Jared now. After Cole had returned to Mattie to help him with the kitchen the boy and he started to talk. Somehow it ended up going in a weird direction. Mattie mentioned that he _'still' _had Jared when they went back to the relationship subject, and he almost choked on nothing. Cole was confused and didn't know what on earth Mattie was talking about. He still had Jared? However when Mattie continued further into his comment, he felt like he was going to burst in laughter. The small boy had told him that he thinks that Jared liked him since he seemed to treat him a lot nicer compared to the others. Of course Cole shrugged it off and replied with a '_Pfft. Nice? Whatever you say. Plus Jared is straight.'_ Mattie however had given him a serious look and continued on saying that Jared did treat him differently. Then…he got thinking. What IF Jared liked him? It was a weird thought and he didn't know how to react to it.

Cole just looked at the male as some pissed off dude who paid him to work for the gang and allowed him to stay at his home. Cole never once had thought of Jared in any kind of romantic way. Yeah the guy was good looking, but…he never thought of him being gay…or ju-ugh! It was so WEIRD! Once he had finished helping he could not stop staring at Jared. Jared obviously got annoyed and started to throw bottles at him, but he couldn't help it. God he could NOT get the thought out of his head. Nibbling on his lower lip he looked at Jared. "Hey Jared, guess what Mattie told me? He told me that he thinks you 'like' me since you are 'nice' to me. Haha, funny right?" Ugh maybe joking it off would work, but who knew. It was just driving him absolutely insane! …What would he do if Jared openly admitted to having some sort of feelings for him? GAH! SO WEIRD! It was like he could never look at the boy the same way ever again. _Whyyyy Mattie! WHHHHYYY? _The boy whined mentally before snapping out of his thoughts when Jared started to speak.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared sighed lightly and stretched before staring boredly at the television. Cole was in a better mood... though acting like a freak. He had, as Jared thought, come out of the kitchen with his beer in a better mood. That was after what seemed to be nearly a fucking hour. That kid Mattie had such a talent for cheering people up. Jared would bet money that little Matthieu Williams could cheer up anyone... or at least make them feel just a bit better. After dinner, however, things got.. weird. Cole kept STARING at him. He had thrown nearly ten bottles at his fat head, missing each time purposely, but the kid did NOT stop. Finally they were at home and Jared was relaxing, though no longer drinking. He didn't get drunk or even buzzed from any of the shit they bought, but he grew tired of the taste more and more quicker each day meaning he was drinking less and less. He needed something new. No one had noticed yet, but they would soon. Eventually beer would stop being stocked in the fridge all together and the gang would have to use THEIR money to fill it with beer. Sigh. He needed something better than that.

The boy only tore from his thoughts as the other spoke. He raised an eye brow and turned his head to look at Cole with a look on his face saying 'what the fuck are you talking about'. "What's so funny about it?" he asked with a grunt, his voice unusually cold. Before the boy could reply, he added, "And why do you sound so nervous, eh?" He stopped and smirked lightly. Matthieu was a little... to smart for his own good. He probably just wanted the idiot to stop moping around and giving him those sad blue eyes. Not to mention the blond kid probably felt guilty as shit. So he made an observational comment. He would defiantly have to have a 'talk' with that kid and tell him to keep his observations to himself. It was cute sometimes... but in times like these it was annoying.

Unless...

Oh. This gave him a brilliant idea. The male scooted closer to the boy and smirked. "Because you sure sound nervous, kid." he said softly, then laughed as the other scooted so far, so fast, that he fell right off the couch and onto the ground. The boy moved and in one graceful and very quick movement he pulled Cole back onto the couch and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Seeing the male almost instantly turn red was worth the pain of having to move. This was to awesome. A good day just got so much better seeing Cole squirm under his arm. "And now you're red... you seem nervous to me." he teased without moving.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole felt himself gulp a little when Jared had given him a look and had spoken. The spiky haired boy was just about to reply when the other accused him of being nervous. Fuck. Was it that obvious? Whining mentally, he had spoken. "I am not nervous! Why would you say that? I'm just saying that I think it is funny that Mattie thought you liked me. I mean it is silly because you are obviously stra-GAH! What are-OW! " The boy interrupted himself when Jared started to get…too close even for HIM and it caused Cole to back away and fall off the couch. The boy had whined before moving a hand to rub his head. Why was Jared getting close? The boy happened to look up at the brown haired male just in time when his hand was grabbed and he was now currently TOO close to the male with an arm around him.

Cole could feel his cheeks burn with heat and his heart beat quicker. WHY did Jared have his arm around him? The boy never wrapped an arm around him let alone did anything that involved close contact. Normally he was the one who always sat in the male's lap and cuddled next to him, but…he did that out of comfort. Wait…what if Jared…secretly liked that? Oh god! His stomach started to turn at the thought and he glanced up at Jared with a pouty expression on his face. "I-I'm not nervous! It is just hot in here…and I hadn't had a cigarette today and my tummy hurts!" The boy whined loudly as he tried to break away from the male. Of course every time he tried to escape he was quickly grabbed once more and forced to sit. GAH! Why can't he gooo? He was tempted just to bluntly ask the other if he liked him, but…that was AWKWARD! Ugh!

"Can you please let go?" The boy asked with a pout, but of course Jared didn't let him and only asked _'why should I?' _"This…just…feels weird with your arm around me…"

_(Jared's POV)_

For someone who was always begging to sit on his lap and sleep in his bed, Cole sure was a blusher when it came to such simple and close contact. A simple arm around the shoulders or his head near the others sent his face to bright red. It was near hilarious. No.. it WAS hilarious! He was getting way to much damn amusement out of this shit... and he was going to let it play for as long as he possibly could. "You are such a bad fucking liar. An- God damn it, Cole! Didn't I tell you to stop with the tummy shit?" he asked and used his free hand to flick the boy in the head. Seriously... the tummy shit was even more annoying than the fact Cole was a clueless idiot. He SUCKED in anything having to do with liking someone, relationships, love, or how to fucking flirt. Idiot. The speaking like a ten year old thing was something he had been trying to get the kid to stop, but he just DIDN'T. He was an inch away from beating the kid out of him.

"Why should I let you go?" he asked, raising an eye brow. He was comfortable and really... that was all that mattered. Aside from sitting up straight, Cole was in a position that Jared KNEW was comfortable for him. He scoffed at the idiots excuse. "And, your point it? How does that affect me? I'm comfortable, now get over it and watch tv." he said without moving, his head snapping to the tv to say he was done talking. And now began the silent torture. He knew that Cole was uncomfortable with the new rumor that he liked him. Sad thing was that it wasn't a rumor. How the fuck that little blond bastard figured it out was beyond him. If others thought the same no one said anything. Mattie did because he thought he could get away with it. If this worked out WELL, then perhaps he would. If not... well, then Mattie was in just as much trouble as Cole would be in.

_(Cole's POV)_

The boy had made a face when the male had cursed at him for being a bad liar and the fact that he said _tummy _again. He liked saying tummy! It was a fun word! The boy let out a small cry when he was flicked in the forehead. "Ow! That hurts!" The spiky blue haired boy whined towards the male, but had stopped when the other made it clear that he was comfortable and demanded him to watch TV. Nuuu! Yes he was comfortable in the way he was sitting…, but…not comfortable being so close to Jared. It was weird and he felt like he could sit in his lap again, or sleep with him without it being awkward. In a way he kind of wished Mattie didn't pointed out this whole Jared thing. It was driving him madly insane and into a blushy spazzy mess! No one likes a blushy spazzy mess! What had he become!

…A blushy…spazzy…nervous mess! NOOO!…

**(Two hours later. Poor little Cole. XD)**

Cole was sitting stiffly with the company of Jared's arm still around him while they watched some horror flick. He could barely pay attention to the television with his mind racing with thoughts. Now…he had to pee BADLY! And his stomach was really starting to hurt…in the not having a cigarette kind of way. Squirming in the male's grip he had looked up at the male. "Jared…I REALLY have to pee!" The boy whined as he felt his foot tapping against the floor impatiently. When the male finally released him, he had ran out of the room as quickly as he could. After a good five minute pee break Cole managed to run into his room and lock the door behind him before attacking his cigarette pack on the bed. Pulling one of the cancer sticks out of the box and grabbed his Saturn shaped like lighter. Flicking the switch he had lit his cig. Taking a big puff out of it he felt his stomach slowly go back to normal. Well, as normal as it could go due to himself still freaking out.

"Ugh! What if he does like me…like that? WHY? How could he like a newbie like me? All I do is complain! Whine! Bitch! …That's the same thing, but ugh! What do I have to offer him? I'm no one special! Just teenage boy who… " Cole stopped ranting to take another puff of his cigarette before grunting. "…A teenage boy who…plays the guitar and goes to school! I just don't get it! I could have sworn he was straight…, and…WHY IS EVERYONE COMING OUT THE CLOSET NOW! " Cole shouted loudly before frowning deeply. What if Jared admitted to him he liked him? THEN what? He wouldn't know if he should reject him or…not. It was just too much.

"I-I…just don't know what to do…" Cole pouted as he put out his cig in the ashtray before cuddling up against his pillow. "…I don't get it. Why me? …_Why_…me?"

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared wasn't particularly enjoying the stupid movie on the television, but he was enjoying the fact that Cole was being so uptight. The boy hadn't dared to move in two hours... and it was amazing. Every time Jared shifted or adjusted himself Cole flushed and sat straighter... it was amusing. Just about the end of the movie Cole started to squirm. He turned his head boredly and looked at the male as he complained he needed to pee. Why was that HIS problem? "Go ahead." he grunted and released the boy. He rolled his eyes and watched as the idiot literally RAN for the stairs. He didn't have to pee that damn bad. He rolled his eyes and turned his head back to the movie. He glanced at the clock, then again a few minutes later. It did not take MINUTES to pee. What was that fucker doing? Jared growled loudly and stood up and went upstairs. Just as he was about to yell and open the door... he heard Cole.

The boy froze outside the door and listened quietly. Cole had this stupid habit of talking out loud. It was how he knew the boy had liked Mattie in the first place. Jared folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame boredly as he listened. Apparently... this was bothering Cole a LOT. He didn't talk this loud unless it was something big, like the night he planned telling Mattie his feelings. Which had been.. every night for a week before he had actually done it. The male brushed some hair from his face and grinned as he listened. Why? Cole honestly didn't know why he liked him? Ah, well of course he didn't. Then again... it was only a great once in a while did he meet someone who caught his attention. Who fucking cared if he was a newb in the gang? The guys in his gang never lasted long anyways. They lost their entertainment and started to fucking irritate him which was the real reason he offed 'em. He and Mattie had really succeeded in confusing the fuck out of Cole, hadn't they? Then again, if Cole didn't feel SOMETHING then it wouldn't bother him this bad. If he didn't like him that way, he would have said something and not laughed nervously when he brought it up. Why Cole indeed... ah, such an obvious answer. Perhaps... perhaps it was time to tell Cole.

Yes. Yes it was time for the test.

Pushing himself away from the door, the male snickered at his final question. How was that relevant? Cole was so random. His age? Why did that matter? He rolled his eyes before walking down the hall way and into his room. It was the biggest room in the house and very.. very plain. Cole always questioned him about it but never got an answer. The answer lied in all of the locked rooms that Cole had never been in. Cole knew better than to ask about those. The first day he had lived in the house he had asked and tried to enter one and... well, that had been the roughest beating that he had ever got. He knew better now. For some reason, the memory made Jared wince. He pushed it off his shoulders and went over to his bed side table. He dug into his pockets for a bit then pulled out his keys. He then slowly unlocked the drawer and pulled it out gently. Inside... was a box. It was around the size of a shoe box but completely metal and locked. He pulled it out carefully and closed the drawer before heading out.

Walking past Cole's door he kicked it hard. "Get your ass downstairs." he said, leaving no room for an argument in his voice. The male made his way downstairs and with ease beat the boy to the living room. He set the metal box onto the table carefully before snapping the tv off. "Don't touch the box until instructed." he said and leaned back against the couch. For a while... Jared was completely silent, staring at nothing and merely sitting. He knew what he wanted to tell Cole... but ah. It was the way he had to tell him. He found that being blunt... did not work for this. Showing did not work. Perhaps he would try a new approach? He really did not want to kill Cole. Tonight would decide if the fucker lived or died.

"How old do you think I am, Cole?"

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole reached up and grabbed his pillow and held it close to him as he closed his eyes. This was such a predicament he was in that was for sure. Now…in a way this was probably how Mattie felt when he found out that he liked him. Well both situations were slightly different, but similar at the same time. Cole was clueless in what to do if Jared confessed to him. It wasn't like he didn't like Jared…it was just…UGH! Cole groaned heavily and kicked his feet back and forth on the bed before jumping when there was a loud kick to his door. Dropping the pillow he rose from the bed and stared at the door when Jared demanded him to come downstairs. Damn…how long had been up in his room shouting? It had been probably too long since Jared seemed pissed by the kick in the door and the tone in his voice.

Sighing heavily Cole had gotten off the bed and unlocked the door and stepped out of his bedroom. Cole walked downstairs as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. Entering the living room Cole eyed the metal box on the table. What was that? Looked too small for Jared to keep his money in incase he was getting paid. When instructed not to touch the box until told so, he had raised a brow. Eh? What the hell was going on? Cole just stood there…in the long silence until Jared had spoken. How old was he? The hell? He was just thinking about that! Not to mention it was such a random question… " Well, I suppose you are probably in your middle twenties to late twenties. Maybe even thirty. However you look like you are about twenty three." Cole replied with a simple nod before moving a hand to scratch the side of his head. "Why ask? Also…what does your age have to do with that metal box? What is in it anyways?" The male questioned curiously.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared waited for the boy to reply and felt like grinned when he did. Twenty-three, eh? That was the youngest guess he had gotten in a long, long time. Especially with everyone running around looking younger than they were, for human side that was. For Cole to say twenty-three as opposed to thirty-three.. was rather a compliment. "Hm, a good guess. Wrong, but good. And you'll find out soon enough about the box. For now, forget it's there." he said coolly. The male pushed some hair from his face and thought a moment. How... should he proceed now? Ah, perhaps questions were the best way to answer this. Letting Cole figure it out himself and freak out. That way was better than just telling him. Almost gently, Jared pulled the dog tags from around his neck. "Do you know what these are?" he asked, holding them gingerly in his hands. Without waiting for him to reply or seeing the nod, he continued. "Of course you don't, because no one around here really knows." He didn't move to offer them to Cole and merely sat there, playing with the tags in his hand. Of all the tags he'd received, these were his most important. Not because of the war they represented, fuck that shit, but... more for sentimental reasons.

"These dog tags-" he started, only showing them to the boy without offering them to him. "belonged to a Sergeant James Rupert. He went MIA - missing in action, you idiot - in Germany during world war one." he said, still messing with them. Jared paused for a moment and stared at the dog tags. Ah, the memories that came with those things. They were... interesting little things and he usually just wore them and ignored people when they were curious. Or beat the shit out of them and make them mind their own business. That was obviously the funner way to handle things. It was obvious they were old, from design. "So tell me something, Cole." He paused here long enough to pulled the chain with the dog tags attached over his neck. "How is it that i've had these exact dog tags since they were made?" Jared leaned back and kicked his feet back onto the table and crossed them comfortably at the ankle. Now began the guessing game... and the silence... then the... well. Who knew.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole blinked towards the male when he said good guess, but he was wrong. Wait so he wasn't near the middle late twenties? Or even thirty? How old WAS he? Or…young even? The spiky haired boy pulled away from his thoughts when the other told him to forget that the box was even there. How could he forget about the box when it was…RIGHT there? Cole sighed mentally before looking at Jared when the male asked him a question. "Ye- The boy was interrupted when the male said he 'didn't' know. What the hell was going on? What was with the age…the box and the dog tags?

"Eh…MIA? What does that mean-oh." Cole said with a blink as Jared explained to him what MIA meant. Okay now this was getting slightly annoying. What was Jared trying to get at with all of this? He felt like he was in school in History class or something…and he HATED history class. He hated everything but English. The boy snapped out of his thoughts when Jared addressed him. "What?" The boy asked as he started to play with his lip ring with his tongue. "I don't know. Maybe they were passed down to you from generation to generation or something? " Cole guessed as he moved a hand to rub his head.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared felt like laughing loudly at Cole as the boy spoke. Idiot! Was he that clueless? "Completely wrong." he said with a sneer. What an idiot. Ah well, at least he tried. "Let me clear it up for you, kid. I'm the only person who's ever worn let alone touched these tags." If that didn't get it through the kids thick skull... NOTHING would. Ah, what an idiot. Even after that comment he was still completely lost. Well, he had figured it out he had just yet to believe himself. He sat patiently and waited for the boy to gather his thoughts. "Unless?" he asked patiently as the boy fell silent. It was a little while until the boy spoke... and when he did.

The boy felt like face palming, he really did. He sighed and shook his head. "I've been called that, but no, Cole. I'm not the Devil." he said dryly. "I'm immortal." Here he leaned forward and went to ignoring the male as he spoke. "Inside his box is the most recent bit of memories, eh, proof that i have." He pulled his keys from his pocket and grabbed the smallest on the ring and, with great care, opened the box. Inside was a collection of photographs, metals, bullet shells and other minuscule items that meant nothing to anyone but him and collectors of war memorabilia. To him they were priceless...just like the roomful of shit he had. He flipped through some things and lied a few photographs onto the table with care. "Here's one from world war one, the dog tags. I'm in the back." He paused and pointed to a tall male in the back, wearing full uniform but obviously... it was obviously him. Or his twin. "This one here," he moved and pointed to the one next to that photo, "This is from Vietnam. That war sucked ass." He shook his head and layed out a few bullet shells and ribbons, along with metals, onto the table. "If you want to pick something up, be fucking careful, got it? Any damage you do to these i'll do to you." he warned coldly.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had raised a brow when the boy had said that he was completely wrong. Well if it wasn't passed down from generations then how the hell did he get a hold of the items? Did he steal them? The boy was pulled loose from his thoughts when Jared said he was the only one to ever have the tags. What…? How was that even possible? When the male had spoken, he blinked. Unless what? What was he some sort of superhuman? A robot? The dev-…the…devil…

Cole had a serious look on his face as he pointed the browned haired male. "You are the devil aren't you?" The boy asked, but he felt disappointed when the other said he wasn't the devil. Had been called one, but was not the devil. Pouting, he let his hand fall back to his side. The boy felt his eyes widen a little when the other said he was immortal. Whoa! Jared immortal? Was this some kind of joke? Like…he was pulling a prank on him for taking too long upstairs? "How are you-proof?" Cole asked as he scurried over to the table and watched as the male opened the box.

Well there did seem to be a lot of old crap in the box, but he was still suspicious of Jared. However that all changed when he was showed a photograph. Cole happened to look at the back and…the guy did look exactly like Jared. Well, there wasn't any reason to not believe him now. Cole glanced up at the male when threatened to be extra careful with the items otherwise he would get a beaten. "Alright, alright. The thing I don't get is…HOW are you an immortal and why tell me about all of this? So…randomly to? Is there another reason behind this?" Cole asked as he gently picked up one of the metals to observe it. "Also…if you are immortal does that mean you have been in every war? Who else knows about your secret?" The boy asked curiously before setting the metal back down onto the table slowly.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared was somewhat pleased when, instead of freaking out, he looked and sounded like he was legitimately curious. He was asking questions instead of laughing it off as a joke. He looked confused, but not angry or frightened. It wasn't to...bad of a reaction. He ignored the last part of his first question for now. WHY would come.. later. Yes, later. Not now though. "How? Ah, well that's a very... very long story that i'll tell you some day if you're actually interested in knowing." he said, his voice dripping in amusement. For now he had to make sure that Cole wasn't going to run. Why bother spending all that time explaining it to the kid if he was just going to die in the end anyways? No. If Cole proved that he could keep his mouth shut and keep the secret then perhaps... THEN he might tell him the truth behind why he was an immortal. He turned his head and watched as the kid gently picked up a metal and looked at it. Ah, he remembered getting that one. It had been for saving one of his superiors life and risking his own. A superior he had hated too. What a fine day that had been. Explosions surrounding them. Death... yells... ah.

"Not every war." he said and leaned back comfortably. Ah, story time. "But i've been in most wars through history. There were a few that i avoided for my own reasons but most i've been in. It's a choice that I made... not all immortals fight in wars. I've just found them to make life... more interesting. " Here he grinned. Jared loved to kill. That was probably a bad thing to admit to ones self, but it was true. Death didn't disgust him. He had fought and killed to much for it to bother him anymore. He loved it when they begged for their life only to be killed, sometimes slowly. He loved to beat the fucking shit out of mortals and watch them squirm and try to fight back. Ah. Wonderful thoughts. He only pulled from his thoughts to answer the second half of the second questions. "Depends." he said with a lazy shrug. "You're the only human to know i'm immortal. I usually end up killing the ones that I tell or who find out. However, there are others like me around this area who know of my secret only because it's one they share."

The boy stopped talking and observed the other male carefully, being the one to fall silent this time. This was a first. In all of the time he had been living, this was a first. This reaction. The look on Cole's face. His... not being afraid. When he had proved it, who he was, in the past... every single person was frightened. Or disgusted. Or tried to kindly work their way out of the relationship with a 'oh, i don't think this is going to work anymore then..'. He had always kindly agreed then killed them as they turned to leave. As if he would let them leave. Every single human lover he had taken in the past who had tried to tell about it. Every single one tried to leave him some how. And every. Single. One. He killed with his own hands. Not a knife. Not a gun. His hands. It felt far more personal that way. With each person he grew close to and he told, there was always a glimmer of hope in the back of his mind that they wouldn't be frightened. The little dot always got smaller and smaller with each person he killed and he had thought it had disappeared all together. But Cole... he was a strange on. He didn't look frightened... just confused. Did the little fucker have any idea what he was telling him?

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had given Jared a questioning look when the male had told him how he was immortal was too long of a story to tell. What did he make a deal with the devil or something? Then again it wouldn't surprise him in the least. Hell he would be shocked if Jared _'didn't' _make a deal with the devil. Cole held in a snicker at the thought before snapping out of his thoughts. Ah, so he hadn't been in every war? "You just love to fight and cause havoc don't ya?" Cole asked with a laugh but slowly fell silent as he noticed Jared grinning.

Cole walked around the table and sat onto the couch comfortably as he kept his eyes on the male. Normally…any other person would probably be freaked out by something like this. However he had always been into weird things like this. Just because Jared was immortal didn't change who the male was. It didn't mean he was anymore scarier than he already was or any weaker either. He was just crazy old beer loving Jared. Cole allowed himself to break free from his thoughts when Jared had spoken. He…was the only mortal that knew so far that…lived? Oh god. " I hope you don't plan on killing me!" The boy whined with a pouty expression forming upon his lips. "If you are worried that I might tell someone then you have nothing to worry about. My pierced lips are sealed! I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." It wasn't like he was going to anyways, but he wanted to make it clear to the male anyhow.

Hearing the last bit of Jared's comment, he had raised a brow. " There are more like you? Who? Do I know any of them?" The boy asked curiously as he started to fall into his own thoughts. What if…Liam was immortal? He wouldn't put it past him. Cole tore away from his thoughts once more when he realized Jared never did answer his previous question. "You never did answer my question on …why you told me." Cole pointed out as he tilted his head to the side curiously.

_(Jared's POV)_

"S'what i'm good at." he said with a grin as the other commented. He wasn't quite sure that havoc was the right word... but it did work. He more liked the pain part, which was why he spent so much time with humans. Their pain was amusing. Immortals for the most part didn't feel much pain. If you shot him then shot Cole, Cole would be crying in pain and Jared could easily just shrug it off. That didn't mean he couldn't die, of course, because, as contradictory as it sounded, he COULD die. There were just about ten million things that had to be done one after another. Some humans knew one or two things, but never figured them all out. They still hadn't figured it out. Those steps that had been written down were found and destroyed by his kind. The male abruptly pulled from his thoughts and stared as Cole came over to where he was sitting... and down down next to him? WHAT? Cole really was a freak. He wasn't freaked out at all. He didn't even look REMOTELY afraid. The boy stared at the other and listened to his speak, his grin fading quickly. He had opened his mouth to comment on the killing thing, but Cole continued. Not going to tell anyone, eh? He had heard that before. That had not been a pleasant week. The idiot girl he had told ran around telling everyone she knew. Ah, what a fun mess that had been to clean up! Cole, however, said it... a lot differently than she did. She had looked at least a little afraid. Cole spoke with complete confidence that no one he had told ever had before.

He scanned the boy carefully and said nothing as the other rambled. First asking about others then commenting that he never answered the other question which he proceeded to repeat. Jared was silent and merely looked at the boy. Finally, after a few minutes of silence he grunted in reply. "There are a few like me and..." He paused and smirked. "I can't quite answer if you know any one like me. You'll find out... some day." He laughed and stood up. The male stretched out and patted the others head, ruffling his hair. "You know the answer to why I told you, kid. you were ranting about it earlier. Not all rumors are just rumors." Jared let out a yawn and started up the steps. "Ah, and I can't have you leaving tonight, understood? No phone calls." He stopped and paused before laughing. "Unless it's Mattie. No other contact. I can't let you out of my sight until I know I can trust you. Got it? Night." he called before heading upstairs and down the hall way.

(Cole's POV)

Cole had blinked a little when the male said that there were a few like him, but he wasn't sure if Cole knew them or not. The boy let out a small whine, but stopped when the other said he would find out someday. Well that sucked! The boy sighed before blinking when the male had stood up from the couch and stretched. When his hair was ruffled, he had let out a small whine since Jared most likely messed up his spikes. Nuu! Oh well…it was getting close for him to go to bed anyways. The boy pulled out of his thoughts when Jared told him that he should know why Jared told him about the immortal stuff. Eh?

The boy was about to ask, but the male had then pointed out that he was ranting about it earlier. SHIT! Jared heard him? Gah! Why did he always have to rant so loudly? The boy started to mentally freak out again Jared had spoken. _Not all rumors…were rumor-GAH! That means he does…like me! GAAH! _The boy shouted in his head as he felt his stomach start to turn in more ways in one. What was he to do now? Or…say? All he could manage to do was …blush and freak out on the inside. Cole snapped out of his panicking when he was told not to make any phone calls unless it was with Mattie. Why Mattie? Gah he felt like he was on lockdown now.

"R-Right…goodnight." The boy stuttered as Jared made his way upstairs to go to sleep. Frowning, he got off the couch and went over to the wall to turn off the switch. Once the light was off in the living room, he too made his way upstairs. Cole entered his bedroom and over to his dresser. The male pulled out a long black and red striped tee shirt and black pajama shorts. Shutting the drawers, he had opened the top one to grab a pair of black knee high socks to keep his feet warm. Heh. The boy had set the clothes on his bed before going in the bathroom to take a small shower to remove the gel from his hair. After a ten minute shower, he had changed into his pajama clothes, brushed his hair down and plopped onto the bed.

Cole lied in bed for a good two hours and he could not go to sleep. His mind kept racing to the immortal conversation to the fact that Jared pretty much admitted in liking him. Today was such a strange…day. Finding out that he no longer had a shot with Mattie, finding out that Jared was some immortal dude and …he _'liked' _him. It was times like these he wished he could sleep in Jared's bed like he used to when he couldn't sleep. What if he went to go sleep with the male and it was…awkward? He didn't know what to do!

Cole debated on if he should go to Jared's room or not and it took him ten minutes to finally build up the courage to do it. Getting out of his bed he had walked over to his door and opened it quietly. Making his way down the hallway he tiptoed over to Jared's bedroom. The room was never locked incase for times like these, so he slowly opened the door. Jared looked sound asleep. Gulping, he stepped inside and shut the door quietly. Right when he started to head to the bed he had lost his balance and had fallen to the ground. "GA-" Cole moved both hands to his mouth to shut himself up incase he woke up Jared. The boy sat on the floor for a while, but no sign of Jared moving. Standing up, he had tiptoed over to the bed and Cole had crawled onto it quietly trying not to make much noise. Crawling under the covers, he stared at Jared. His stomach was turning in a strange way and he could feel himself blush uncontrollably. Maybe…he did have hidden feelings for Jared? Maybe he was so focused on chasing Mattie that he pushed any feelings for Jared behind? Sighing mentally, he scooted close to Jared and cuddled next to him.

After a moment or so Jared's eyes had opened quickly and it scared the shit out of him! Cole had scooted back so fast from the male and had fallen off the bed. "GAA-OW! I'm sorry!" Cole quickly apologized as he rubbed his head since it was now currently throbbing.

_(Jared's POV)_

About half way up the fucking stairs the boy realized he left the metal box down on the living room table, open and exposed. Fuck! Guh, he was already at his room. Maybe after the took a shower he would go back and get it. The boy growled lightly before heading into his room. He pushed the door open and slammed it closed before making his way into his bathroom. Jared took a very... very long shower. A very long and hot shower. He had a lot of thinking to do after all. Cole... wasn't afraid. From just listening he could hear the male in his own room starting up his own shower, though he was done LONG before. There was some shuffling, the blankets moving, then silence. He went to bed. He wasn't trying to run. It was was confusing to him than it made him happy. Well now what? He'd never got THIS far. Well... after telling someone. He always ended up fucking then telling 'em and then killing them. All after spending a considerable amount of time with them. Enough time to 'love' them. Fuck that shit. He had given up on 'loving' for real just after world war one.

Jared sighed and turned the water off. He dried his body and his hair before heading into his room. The male pulled on a pair of clean boxers and some silk black pajama pants before heading back downstairs. It was kind of funny how outside it was so miserably hot and inside... it was almost cold. Ah, he loved his air conditioning. As he passed Cole's room he paused and listened. Yes. He was in there. With a shake of his head he continued along. Once downstairs the male sighed and dropped onto the couch. Gently he picked up each photograph and stared at them before gently placing them back into the box. He repeated this with the metals and bullets and other things the box held as well, going slower with each item and playing with them more and more. He had to have been downstairs for an hour just staring at them. Sometimes... he wished that he wasn't an immortal. As lame as it sounded, he HAD made friends in his 'past lives' as he had called them. They were all dead or old as shit now and didn't even remember him. It was almost a depressing fact that he would outlive everyone around him. It was a long time ago he had stopped growing attached to mortals... and not to mention he couldn't STAND to be around other immortals. They were all cocky as fuck... which was why he was even where he was. The opposing gang, his kids didn't know, was led by a demon. The other immortal had been there first and long before him, manipulating the humans so one day, for the hell of it, Jared decided to do the same. The two already hated each other and they both knew that sending humans out to kill each other would do nothing... but it was an amusement in their never ending life. They had to do something to keep sane after all. All they really had to do was face each other and fight until the other surrendered or died... but instead they just sent humans with hate, greed, and desperation in their hearts to fight it out for them. It was just... so much more amusing this way!

Sighing once more, the boy clicked the top back onto the metal box and locked it. He took it into his arms and headed back upstairs. As before, he stopped outside of Cole's door and listened. He was in there, but awake? It had been an hour, why wasn't that kid asleep? Ah... hah! Of course he wasn't asleep. He had a lot to think about too. Jared shook his head before walking down the hall and back into his room. He closed the door gently and fought the urge to lock it. He used to lock his door, then Cole had wanted to come in during the middle of the night those first weeks and sleep with him because he couldn't sleep, or some shit like that. Needless to say, it got annoying to keep having to getting up at two in the morning to unlock the door for him so he just kept it unlocked. It made him uneasy, but he did it anyways. Stupid Cole. The boy stretched out and walked back to his desk beside his bed. He set the box back into its proper drawer then closed and locked it again. It was more of a habit to keep it locked. Cole knew better than to go snooping around and he stayed only where he was welcome, which was one thing he liked about the kid. He learned awful damn fast.

Dropping into his overly soft bed, Jared could feel his joints popping from the long day. He stifled a groan and stretched out before moving under the blankets. He really needed a massage. A fucking good one too. The boy pushed some hair from his face before resting his arms on his chest, staring at the ceiling. He wouldn't be sleeping, no. He'd end up staying all night listening. Waiting for Cole to make a mistake. To make a phone call or try to leave. Something to give him an excuse to get rid of the kid. An hour later there was shuffling and the door opening. But... the footsteps were not AWAY from his room and downstairs... they were coming toward his room. Jared felt his lips tug into a frown but snapped his eyes shut and let his face relax, giving the appearance that he was in a deep sleep. Moments later... his door was opening. This was quite the turn of events. Of all of the things that he had been expecting... this was the last. The tripping and falling on his face was even predictable. He forced himself to not move as the other stopped from yelling out and didn't move for a while. But then, after Jared hadn't moved, the boy got up and moved toward the bed once more. He was being... careful. Cole was completely unafraid? Ah. No. He had some kind of hint of fear but it didn't seem to be because of the immortal conversation they had had... more about...

His answer came as the other crawled into the bed slowly, as if trying not to make any sounds. Cole NEVER moved slow. If he was having a hard time sleeping, he came in and JUMPED into bed. It ALWAYS woke up Jared and ALWAYS pissed him off. The way Cole was coming was slower... so much more hesitant and thoughtful. He wasn't scared of Jared being immortal. He was frightened of the feelings he had for him. Well... wasn't that fucking odd. Of everything that had happened today and everything Cole knew, he was afraid of getting into bed with Jared because Jared liked him? What a moron! He didn't move, however, as the other cuddled against his side. He did open his eyes after a moment and peer down... in which Cole was apparently not expecting.

Jared sat up slowly and laughed as the other moved backwards and fell off the bed. He smirked and ruffled his own hair as the other spoke and started to apologize quickly. "What're you apologizing for?" he asked, only just realizing he was tired. Ah, if Cole slept in his bed then he would be able to sleep a lot better. That was only because he knew the kid would be at his side instead of trying to run. Perfect. "Com'mon." he said with a yawn before he dropped back onto his pillow. "If you're going to sleep here with me then hurry up. I'm tired." It was mostly a fib, but he supposed he was getting tired. All this time he spent sleeping in human hours was weird... he was getting USED to it! FUCK! He would have to stay up a month straight and start to get his old schedule back into place. He turned his head and focused back onto Cole and scowled seeing the boy was further away from him than usual. This bothered him. "Don't be getting shy on me now." he growled and pulled the boy closer and onto his chest where Cole usually insisted on being at night when he came into his room. "I know you're not comfortable over there. Now stop squirming and pretending to - ... Cole? Are you blushing?" Jared laughed. That... that was a first to. He was so old... but today was so full of firsts. Ah, it would be a day he would not soon forget. "Ah, whatever. It doesn't matter." he said before the other could make up an excuse. "Just go to sleep."

**(There is more to the Jared/Cole thing, but I didn't want to make it REALLYYY long then it already is. So, the next chapter will have the rest of the Jared/Cole thing and also two more characters will be shown! :'D)**


	13. ChiChi and the Princess

_THIRTEENTH CHAPTER! MUWAH!_

**This is the rest of Jared and Cole and the beginning of Layla and Chi-Ch-I mean Chiaki~ ;D I control Layla and my friend control's Chiaki~**

_Also here are the bio's for Layla and Chiaki._

**Name**

Chiaki Ryuuk

**Nickname**

Ryuu, Chi-Chi, Mama Chi-Chi

**Age**

21

**Ethnicity**

Japanese

**Likes**

Guns, books, sugar, sugary things, running, muffins, girls.

**Dislikes**

Sitting around, silence, fire, computers, cars.

**History**

Unlike most people in his gang, Chiaki grew up in a very happy normal home. When he was ten he moved from Japan to the states for his fathers job. Obviously, he speaks fluent Japanese as well as English and knows just a little bit of German. Not enough to get by in the country, but he's learning. His family was very happy. His father was a bit on the strict side, making him get perfect grades and do certain sports, but Chiaki was never unhappy in life. When he joined the gang at seventeen, his mother and father were very worried when he sometimes came how badly... badly messed up from Jared's beatings. He assured them that it was normal high school behavior and if they went and complained to the school about it, then he would become an social out cast prone to loneliness and humiliation for the rest of his time in high school. They... believed it. It was the stupidest and more pathetic reason but it worked.

Chiaki, however, was smart. He quickly learned what to do and what not to do or say and learned to avoid the beatings. Quicker than other people that joined around the time that he did. For that he right away got attention from the male. He then was promoted every faster... hehe! Being the right hand man to a gang leader was NOT easy business... especially when it was Jared. After he left high school his parents bought and are paying for his housing, on a very nice part of town, and his schooling. Being paid for working for Jared, since it pays awesomely, he has TONS of extra money... and loves it.

**Secrets**

He's in love with a girl... from the other gang.

**Name**: Layla Osaki

**Nickname**: Lala, Princess

**Age**: Twenty two in human years.

**Race**: Full fledge demon

**Likes**: Flowers, fine clothing, stars and guns

**Dislikes**: Boredom, kids, rules and big dogs

**History**: Layla lives a very…interesting life to say the least. When she was younger her mother had left her father due to differences, but always kept in touch. Later on when she was around the age of twelve she had met her half-brother Mathieu. His first words to her was 'Your hair is pink!' and swore that it wasn't real. She and her mother however laughed it off and didn't bother to explain the truth behind the color of her hair. Two days after the meeting her father informed her that her mother passed away. To this day she has forgotten all about her brother and rarely thought of her mother because it upsets her when thinking about the woman. Now she lives in a mansion a little too big for just two people. Her father is a leader in a gang, and is very cautious about the people she hung around with. So most of the time she stays in her room when not out shopping, or going to the park. She may be a demon and old enough to know how to handle herself and even wield a gun, but her father is the typical over protective kind.

…_Little does he know that she has been seeing a guy from her father's rival gang for quite some time… _

**(~Continuing where I left off.~)**

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had continued to rub his head when he heard Jared laughing. Gah! He hoped he didn't piss the other off, but then again…he was laughing, so that was a good sign. Cole happened to glance up at the male when the other asked why he was apologizing. "Sorr-" The boy stopped himself from apologizing when Jared told him to hurry up and get on the bed if he was planning on sleeping. Cole nodded softly before standing up from the floor before crawling in the bed. However…instead of being close to Jared like he was, he was a bit farther away. He didn't know if he should scoot closer, or not, so he put some distance between them.

Just when Cole closed his eyes he reopened him at the feeling of his body being pulled upon Jared's chest with an arm lacing around him. Cole stared at the man with his face flushing deeply. Gah! The butterflies were acting up in his stomach again! The light blue haired male felt his eyes widen a bit when the other had spoken. Don't…be getting shy on him? Gah! Cole tried to squirm away from the boy, but stopped when Jared told him to stop squirming and noticed that he was blushing. "…N-No!" The boy lied with a whine, but stopped as the other had then told him to just go to sleep.

Sighing, he allowed his head to rest against Jared's chest comfortably. Jared was right…he was comfortable even though his stomach was being crazy at the moment. Pushing the feeling down Cole buried his head in the male's chest before nuzzling against it softly. Jared…smelled so good. Without thinking Cole had started to mutter softly. "You smell…so good…" The boy stated as he nuzzled against Jared some more before realizing what he had said out loud. GAH! Did he really say that? The boy closed his eyes tightly and kept his head buried in Jared's chest some more as he moved both of his hands to his head. He was sooo stupid!

Why couldn't he ever keep his mouth shut? Cole slowly lifted his head off of the bare chest to look at Jared with a pouty expression. Of course Jared had a smirk on his face which probably meant he heard him speak. Whyyy did Jared have to be awake? Neeh!

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared let his eyes close as the other stopped squirmed and started to nuzzle against his chest as any normal night. Ugh, he was such a damn cuddler. The male let his arm rest comfortably on the boys waist and was just about asleep when... the boy spoke out loud? He snapped his eyes open and looked down at the male with a smirk on his face. He smelled good... eh? Now Jared was quite pleased that he had taken such a long shower that night. If Cole was opening his mouth and making such a slip up... that was just flat out adorable. The male let his smirk face to a smile as the other peered up at him, pouting cutely like he was so good at doing. It was only then he really... really noticed how adorable he was. "Ah, you're to cute, Cole." he said with a small sigh followed by a laugh, his chest moving up and down lightly. "Go to sleep now, kid. You've got school tomorrow." he said with a stretch. "Though..." he paused for a moment and thought. There was something that he needed help with tomorrow.. just gang business but an extra hand would be nice to have. "You can come with me and ditch tomorrow if you'd like. An extra hand would be nifty for what I have to go." He yawned and used his free hand that wasn't around the kid to run through his hair. "If you do want to go do me a favor and don't talk about it now. I'm getting to tired to talk."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had felt his cheeks heat up more when the male had called him cute. Cute? Ah! He never called him cute! Normally when he pouted or anything…he was whacked or scolded. Did Jared secretly like it when he pouted too? The boy quickly buried his head into the male's chest as it heaved up and down. Something felt off. Opening his eyes he peered down at the bare chest in front of him. Gah! Where was his shirt? Flushing he lifted his head off of the chest and before he could say something Jared had spoken. Jared was right…he had school tomorrow and needed all the sleep he could get. Cole nodded softly and was just about to lay his head against the other, but something caught his attention. Ditch school? To do something for the gang! Hell yeah! "I want to go with you." The boy told the other before finally getting comfortable once more. Allowing his eyes to close he curled his hands next to chest softly. Even though it felt awkward being close to Jared…it felt nice too. Opening his eyes slowly he peered up at Jared for once last time. "Jared…? Does…this all mean we are in a relationship now?" Cole asked the male since he wasn't sure if they were or not. Jared was being nice…, called him cute, admitted to liking him and he was now lying on the other's chest having blushy moments.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared was easily about to fall asleep when the boy spoke again and agreed. He only grunted in reply, but let his eyes open quickly as the other commented. Hah! He really was to cute! Not only that... but he was a bright red too. Ahah! What a good day. "Call it whatever you want to, kid." he said used the arm that was around Cole to ruffle his hair gently. He then moved his arm back down to the boys waist and closed his eyes again. To make sure the boy didn't speak again, Jared continued. "If you want to call it a relationship, that's fine. Just no pet names or I will beat the shit out of you." Here he yawned and close his eyes once more. "Now shut up and go to bed. Tomorrows going to be a long day."

**[~Layla and Chiaki~]**

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla had been sitting on her balcony railing that connected itself to her rather overly sized room for quite some time. Her wavy pink hair reached to the bottom of her lower back while her bangs brushed against her forehead. It was another dull night while her father was off doing what he does best and that wasn't making food either. Being a daughter to a gang member…let alone a demon was not something she practically liked, but dealt with it the best she could. Layla removed herself from the balcony and entered her bedroom as she shut the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. She was getting quite bored sitting out there since it had been an hour or so. Layla was wearing a white lacy dress that went a little above her knees with a slit in the side. She even wore white stockings that went up to her knees. Eh…too much white. She was half tempted to change due to the fact she looked like some prissy glass doll. Sighing she ran a hand through her hair as she walked over to her vanity table.

Sitting upon the stool the woman had grabbed a golden colored brush and started to run it through her wavy hair. Her hair was getting annoying and if it weren't for that certain someone she would have straightened it and dyed it a different color. Maybe even blonde! She got so many looks because how unnaturally her hair looked. Normally she didn't give two shits about what people thought, but look…after look got so annoying. People dye their poodles pink and they don't say anything to that! The girl sat the brush down and gotten off of the stool and glanced around her room.

It was huge with white shiny floors and a big round bed against the wall. It was filled with pink pillows and a pink curtain hung low from the railing hanging above it. To the other far left of the room was where her vanity table sat and her dresser against the wall opposite from that. She of course had a walk in closet and her own personal bathroom and a pink circled rug in the middle of her room. Her room in her…opinion was too dull…and pink. However she did have another closet filled with a few guns, heh.

Layla was just about to go over to that special closet of her when there was a clank on her sliding door. Layla made a face and turned around. Well there was only one person in the world who would dare do that. Making her way over to the sliding doors, she slid them open and stepped out onto the balcony. "Chi-Chi stop hiding from behind the bushes and next time…throw a pinecone or something. If that rock would have broken my sliding doors I would have to suspend you from late night visits." The girl cooed as she rested her arms onto the balcony railing. When the male could be seen, she had grinned. "You should be lucky that my father isn't around. He won't be back for three days, so if you ruined your chances for late night visits on a special three days like this it would be quite sad." She was only taunting him of course and he probably knew that. Chiaki was her…forbidden lover. Why was he forbidden you ask? Because he was in a gang that his father was against. It was like a…demented version of Romeo and Juliet in a way. Except they hadn't died yet…, she was a demon and Chi-Chi was a lot happier. Hehe… " So, did you escape smelly Jared to see little ole me?"

_(Chikai's POV)_

Chiaki huffed and pushed some hair from his face before stretching out as he stepped out of his car. Since Layla's home was so far from his home and the base... he had been FORCED to drive! His car was normal and blended in with the area, so that was good. Even so, he parked a few blocks from her home and began to jog toward her house. He had BARELY managed to escape Jared's grip tonight... but it had been almost a week since he had seen his girl and he was getting irritated. It was work work work lately and it was getting on his fucking nerves. If it wasn't work it was school, and if wasn't those to it was his parents! All he wanted to do for the past... week was spend time with her. But no. Fuck his life. He did, however, owe Cole something. That idiotic blue haired annoying bastard was keeping Jared busy all night - not THAT way! - so he had managed to escape to see her. Ahh! He was so excited!

The male glanced around carefully. He didn't her old mans car, but that didn't mean that he wasn't around. That bastard was tricky sometimes. He snuck carefully around the house and hid in his usual bush next to a tree. He stumbled around a bit and finally found a small stone. He felt it for pointy edges and found none. Grinning he moved above the bush and tossed the rock with skillful precision up to a window on the second floor. Quickly he ducked back into the bush JUST in case. Seconds later.. a voice. Ahh! What a lovely voice that was! "Waah, But Layla! A pinecone is hardly romantic enough for you! I would have replaced it if I broke it, you know that." He straightened and gave her his goofy grin that was just for her. When she spoke and said her father wasn't around his teal eyes brightened. Her father WASN'T home? So... he could disappear for three days and spend all of his time with her? Ayaaa! How perfect! This was going to be such a perfect, perfect three days! How happy he was! "Ahhh! I'm even happier now that he won't be around! That's more time with you!" he said not bothering to hide how happy he was.

When Layla spoke the male laughed. Smelly old Jared? Well.. all of the above were true, but Jared didn't really smell bad... hah! "Of course, my darling!" he said with a grin. "Nooow... how about you and your beautiful self comes downstairs and unlocks the front door for me?" he said with a warm smile. "This is a new jacket after all... and I was planning on letting you wear it since it's so warm." he offered. Even though the jacket was fairly new... it did smell like him. Layla liked it when he gave her small articles of clothing's to keep for a while. Ones that were easily hideable of course. Jackets, hats, scarfs. Those sorts of things. Chiaki stopped and pouted openly as the other teased him about climbing the tree, not caring about his sweater. "Oh come on, Princess!" he whined, moving into the light so the girl could see his pout a lot better. "Please let me in through the front door? I love you!"

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla allowed a smirk to play onto her lips as she stared down at Chiaki as he whined about how a pinecone would not be as romantic. "Maybe so…, but it wouldn't cause damage to the sliding door." The girl pointed out just as the other said he would have replaced the sliding door if he had broken it. Of course he would. "Darn right you would replace it." Layla stated as she gave him a fake, but serious look. It quickly disappeared though by the grin that was plastered on Chiaki's face. She loved that grin of his! No matter how mad she may be, that grin could easily get rid of whatever anger she had at the time. Layla pulled away from his thoughts when the boy's eyes had lit up from the news that her father will not be home for three whole days. Hehe if Chiaki had a tail she could picture it wagging in excitement.

"Yes, three whole days and nights with precious me. However you have to be a good boy to get to spend time with me." The pink haired woman teased as she moved to sit on top of the balcony railing while staring down at him. Of course, the boy whined in reply, but it was cute. Everything about the male was cute. He was like her personal little love puppy. She hid her snicker from the thought before raising a brow when Chiaki told her to unlock the front door for him. "Me? Open the door for you? You should climb that tree to get to me! " The girl said as she moved a hand into her hair before smirking when the boy said he had a jacket for her to wear.

Layla loved wearing pieces of clothing of Chiaki so much. The boy knew that so it was why he always found new things for her to wear that belonged to him. Hehe. The woman pulled away from her thoughts when the male stepped into the light and started to pout. Aw…he was too cute to turn down now. " Alright, if I must come to you then I will. You better be waiting at the door when I go downstairs though." Layla said as she wiggled her finger at him before disappearing from the balcony.

The woman made her way out of her room, down the spiral stairs and towards the main doors. She could sense he was already at the door, but she didn't open it just yet. She wanted him to squirm excitedly. Layla let a good two minutes pass before unlocking and opening one of the main doors. " Sorry for the wait, I got losssst." The girl laughed before giving the male a warm smile. The woman outstretched her arms to the male so he could hug her. She was done with the teasing…for now anyways.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Damage? Bah! His little old rock wouldn't have hurt the glass door! Well... it COULD have, but it didn't! That's the point in this matter! He smiled up at the girl and watched as she sat on the balcony. Ahh, she was beautiful. What she saw in him he would never understand, even though he had tried and thought about asking her why she liked him... but he never got the courage. It was better not knowing sometimes. The boy pulled from his thoughts and grinned widely at the behaving comment. "I'll behave... maybe." he said with a grin. Behaving was lame! And unexciting! If he was the kind of person who behaved then he wouldn't be in a gang and dating the daughter of the opposing gang leader. Life would be no fun at all if he had followed all the rules!

Chiaki grinned wider as the other told him to wait by the door. "As you wish!" he said and hopped back over the bush and ran around to the front door. Moving fast, one could be out of the house in a ten seconds (he knew this from experience... God what a bad day THAT had been and a very.. very close call!). Moving at Layla's normal pace, it took forty five seconds. NOT TWO MINUTES! Not only that but he KNEW that she was on the other side of the door! Just wanting him to squirm and whine and hit the door begging to be let in. Her father wasn't there, so who cared about being quiet? Haha! "You big fibber!" he cried, pouting as the girl opened the door saying she got 'lost'. Liiiies! The pout faded back to a smile as the other moved her arms out and toward him. Ahh. She was so amazing.

The male took two swift steps forward and pulled the girl up and into his arms. He spun gently and laughed seeing her let out a cry. She should have been used to his by now! He grinned at her before setting her back onto her feet and bending down to kiss her gently on the lips. He let her return it and the kiss to play for just a bit before he pulled away. "I've missed you." he said gently, though his voice more serious than playful. He moved one hand and touched her face gently. "I'm sorry I haven't been around. School and Jared have kept me so busy.. but boy oh boy, I have some stories to tell you, girl." he said with a laugh and pulled back, his teasing attitude coming back. "Remember the kid Mattie? The one that Liam found?" he asked as he took her hand and headed up the stairs and back to her room. Sure, the pink made him want to vomit, but they were safe there (he wasn't sure why other than if he was there her father didn't know and the room had a super lock) and the bed was sooo comfortable! "Apparently ol' Liam has a soft spot for nerdy shy kids. They're in a relationship!" He said with a laugh, then grinned at her reply. "I KNOW, right? Oh, but my love. It gets so much better! Remember that blue haired kid, Cole? Yeah? Well apparently Jared has a soft spot for him!"

Chiaki pulled the girl into her room and laughed at her reply. He knew this could potentially be a bad idea... telling the enemy about the relationships in his gang? Jared would kill him if he found out. Fuck, if Jared found out that he was dating Layla, he wouldn't have to worry about the fact he told Layla all of this stuff... he'd be dead anyways. Not dead. Tortured. Slowly. Then dead. Maybe. IF Jared was in a good mood. He trusted Layla though. She wasn't involved in the gang business and hated what her father did. Well... hated was a strong word, but she didn't like it. And he trusted her... so he knew that he could tell her anything and she wouldn't blab. Which was why she was so... perfect. Chiaki laughed and went over to her bed and dropped onto it on his back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "So much has happened in just a week." he said with a sigh. "Speaking of which!" He sat up quickly, his smile wide and his eyes twinkling. "I passed my final med test."

_(Layla's POV)_

"Aya! Are you calling me a fibber? How cruel of you to think that I would lie!" Layla said with a small whine as she puffed out her cheeks. The girl was just about to reply once more, but Chiaki came inside the house and pulled her up off the ground and in his arms. "EE! Chi-Chi!" The girl squeaked loudly followed by a giggle afterwards. Chi-Chi always picked her up when he saw her and spun her around, but she squeaked every time. Once she was placed back onto her feet, she had smiled softly at the male before he had kissed her. The girl closed her eyes and allowed her hand to touch his cheek softly as she returned the kiss back. Oh how she missed kissing him…and being around him in general.

When Layla was not shopping or at the park, she was in the house…bored…and alone. She was half-tempted to get a kitten or something to keep herself occupied. Layla loved kittens they were so cute! The boy had pulled out of her thoughts when the male broken the kiss which had caused her to frown for a second. "I know, I missed you too. I've been so bored lately that I've been tempted to get me a kitty." She laughed softly before moving her own hand to touch the hand that was placed against her face. Oh how she missed him terribly, but it was understandable since he went to med school and was involved in a gang. Even when he was free, he had to be extremely careful when coming over to her house.

If her father spotted a boy in her room, he would be livid. It would be even worse if he found out if it was a boy from the other gang. There would be some serious drama there and she wondered if her begging would be enough to stop her father from killing Chiaki. Layla frowned at the thought, but allowed herself to stop the frown incase Chiaki sensed something was wrong. "It is understandable. You are a busy man." Layla finally replied before letting her eyes widen a little when the male announced he had some gossip to tell her. Ohh! Gang gossip! The very best kind!

The woman allowed the male to grab her hand as the two made her way back to her room. Even though they had the house to themselves…it would be better if they hangout in her room. Her father could drop by anytime to check up on her, so it was best not to be too carefree. "Huh? Oh the blond boy? Yeah I remember you telling me about him." Layla nodded as they finally reached her bedroom. Once inside, she had locked the door behind them. "So you are telling me that loud Liam is in a relationship with a shy little nerd? What has the world come-" Layla stopped talking when the male had also mentioned that Jared and the new boy Cole was also in a relationship.

"Jared…? Smelly ole Jared in in a relationship with a boy? I think I'm going to have a heart attack. It seems like men these days are getting tired of us women…such a shame. " Layla said with a laugh as the male had went to lay down onto her bed. The pink haired woman strolled over to Chiaki and crawled onto the bed. The woman made her way over to the male and laid onto the bed besides him. The girl smiled up at him before gasping when he had spoken. Jolting up from the bed she threw her arms in the air. "You did? That is terrific! You just earned yourself a smooch." With that said Layla crawled on top of the boy and planted a kiss on his lips. Hehe…

_(Chiaki's POV)_

A kitty... eh? Chiaki would have to remember that for the future, but for now he only smiled like he usually would so that he wouldn't give anything away. After all.. he needed to have some extra things up his sleeves for if he ever pissed Layla off. It didn't happen often and never lasted long, but he always liked to buy her things and give her gifts when it did happen. He opened his mouth to comment on the busy thing but she was already gushing about the gang gossip. She was so easily amused, how cuuuute! He grinned when she commented on the Jared and Cole thing then started to whine about guys being gay and so on. "I'd never get tired of you, beautiful." he said with a wink to her. Yeah, there was no way that Chiaki could ever be gay. Nothing wrong with that or anything. Guys liked other guys, whatever. Nothing wrong with that. So long as he was left out and didn't have to see it or be told about it, then whatever. He didn't have a problem with gay dudes... just so long as he wasn't hit on.

Chiaki grinned and looked over as the other threw her hands up into the air and let out a happy cry. Ah, so she was happy for him. That was awesome. He laughed as the girl crawled on top of him and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around the girls slender form and kissed her back gently. After a moment he rolled over and on top of the girl, careful not to crush her or let his weight go to much onto her and pulled away with a smile. "But... since i've graduated from school i'll only become more busy, you know that, right?" he asked, becoming serious once more, his smile slowly fading. "I've talked to Jared and he understands... but being an intern full time won't be easy, Layla. I'll be on call all the time at all hours... so even if I find time to be here... i might have to leave suddenly." Chiaki stopped talking and bent down and kissed her again. The one thing he loved about his darling girl... was she WAS understanding. A lot of people would be so much more selfish. He knew that she was going to be missing him and wanting him to be with her... but she also understood a lot better than anyone he knew. Even though Jared had given his okay... he was irritated about it. Chiaki was already great about avoiding work... and now he actually had a reason to!

After a moment the male broke the kiss and kissed her forehead. "I'll always make time for you though." he said softly with a warm smile before he dropped back onto the bed beside her. "Beside, once i'm a doctor and fully out of the gang with Jared's blessing, maybe we can stop all of this ridiculous running around. I mean, come on. What kind of father wouldn't want their girl with a successful doctor?" he teased and grinned. Then again, they both knew the answer to that. Her father would never approve of him because he was a human and she and her father.. well, were not. She had explained it all before, the reasoning and so on, but he didn't understand it. Regardless they both knew they would never have his blessing... they both knew it and neither of them liked to bring it up. Human, demon, or immortal. Whatever the fuck Layla was, he still loved her. Her father wasn't that kind... Layla's happiness was probably not as important as her marrying and having a kid with another immortal. Bah. Stupid! But he still loved her anyways and there was nothing that could change that. Even her fathers disapproval.

"Just think about it, cutie." he said, staring at the ceiling happily, deciding to change the subject away from her father. He folded his arms behind his head and let out a happy sigh. "This time in a year or two i'll be a Doctor. A real one, not just a lame nurse assistant."

(Layla's POV)

Layla smiled under the kiss as the male before her returned the kiss. The girl had squeaked however when Chiaki being the sneaky little devil he was had rolled them over so he was on top. When the kiss had broken, she had laughed a little. "Why can't I ever be on top? No fair-" The girl stopped her playful whine when the male had started to speak. Her happy expression slowly turned into a somewhat sadder one. It was true…he was going to be more busy than usual. She was happy for the fact he was pursuing something he liked to do and has a chance to escape Jared, but…she would rarely get to see him. "I know, but I'm sure I'll be fine. You know where to fine me." Layla said with a soft laugh, but it was cut off by the kiss.

The pink haired girl allowed her eyes to shut as her arms wrapped around the male's neck. She returned the kiss back gently, but the kiss had ended quicker than she had wanted it to. She opened her eyes and closed one of them when her forehead was kissed. "You better make time for me. I do not care what time it is, or what I am doing. Even if I am taking a bubble bath, I will stop so I can see you. " That probably sounded a bit silly, but she did not care. Chiaki was probably going to find that amusing anyways. Heh. Layla watched as the male rolled off her and plopped down next to her. Turning on her side, she had cuddled up next to the male.

Layla wanted to frown and smile at the man's next comment. Most fathers…or parents in general would be excited to see one of their kids dating or marrying someone that was a doctor. However her father was different. No matter how successful you may be…he stated that no man was good enough for her. Which she had disagreed with him. It was not as if she was the most precious thing in the universe. The girl was just a daughter to a demon with many riches and power and that did not mean she is some prized possession that someone should not touch. Even though she wanted not to be able to sneak around with her relationship, it had to be done. Chiaki was in Jared's gang, and her father would not take that well when finding out. Moreover, if Jared found out about Chi-Chi dating her…he would beat the crap out of the male. It really did feel like forbidden love.

The girl felt herself pull away from her deep thoughts when Chi-Chi had started to speak. " Hehe, I know and I'm quite happy for you. I just can't picture you wearing the uniforms. You need to take a picture of it for me." Layla teased as she moved a hand to poke the boy in the head. The girl smiled, but had stopped when she realized something. "Oooh Chi-Chi…don't you have something warm? Awesome and smells good for me to wear? " Layla asked with a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She had forgotten all about the jacket and it seemed as if he did as well.

Layla sat up from the bed and moved a hand into her wavy pink hair as she continued to smirk. Chiaki looked confused at first, but quickly remembered about the jacket. "Good boy. " She laughed as she waited for the male to remove the jacket from him before offering it to her. It may not match what she was currently wearing, but what did she care? Layla slipped her arms through each armhole. It was a little big on her, but it smelled just like Chiaki. The best smell in the world. Next to vanilla…that is. Hehe.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

A girl on top? Hah! Layla really was to cute. The boy kept his thoughts to himself and only smiled. He stopped and felt his eye brows raise as the other then mentioned a bubble bath. "A bubble bath, eh?" he asked, a small perverted grin making its way onto his lips. He really wasn't a pervert or anything, but it really was fun to tease the girl. Especially since she would either get mad or blushy about it. Usually mad... yeah. Heehee! She was so cute when she got mad. The way her eyes lit up and glared at him... it was perfection. "I promise to take a lot of pictures and send them to you." he said with a laugh and rolled over onto his side to look at the girl. "I bet i'll look damn sexy in that white c- Oh yeah!" Chiaki darted up quickly and pulled off his red jacket. He was going to be fricking freezing when he went back outside, but Layla would be happy. He draped it around her shoulders gently and helped her get it on before leaning back and smiling. As the girl adjusted the jacket and smiled at it... he merely stayed leaning on his hands and smiled at her. She looked so adorable in his stuff. His jackets, shirt, hats, scarves. Whatever he gave her she always looked so.. perfect.

"Do you like it?" he asked, the smile never leaving his face. He had often been scolded for just looking at her and smiling. That was... whenever she caught him which wasn't often. He couldn't help if he just stopped and watched her. It was hard not to... really hard not to. He caught himself doing it all the time and never stopped himself. It was to much enjoyment and amusement watching her. He smiled as she nodded happily. "Ah, that's good. It makes me happy." he said before leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek gently. He loved to see her happy.

**(End of chapter~ Hehe Chi-Chi is like a puppy~ ;D)**


	14. The Tape And The Kitten

_FOURTEENTH CHAPTER! MUWAH!_

_**Meowww~Also this is a while after the previous chapter**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

_(Chiaki's POV)_

God.. damned.. tree! Chiaki hoped from the branch and then onto the balcony, nearly tripping and falling on his face. USUALLY he was extremely graceful and this jump, as well as the climbing of the tree, was sooo easy... but work was KILLING him! Being a med student had been hard... but being a medical intern at the hospital? Oh. He was in hell. It was complete hell. He loved to help people and he loved it work... it was just so much damn time! He was exhausted! He was on the night shift and ALWAYS on call so he usually spent all day sleeping and all night, and most of the day, working. This was a day off though, thank God. Jared had laughed at him today, the one time in two weeks, when he had come in for work, and then sent him home to sleep. THAT was how bad it was. Jared noticed.. JARED! Of all the people in the world to notice! It had been two weeks since he had spent those three days with Layla. It had been awesome, but ended way to god damned fast. He wanted to sleep. He was exhausted. But Layla was way more important. But the fucking truck was there. Her daad. GUH! Bitch! He snuck around the balcony and peered into the room slowly, making sure he was hidden by the half closed curtains. Ah! There was his princess! Alone in the room with the door shut - and locked that he could see from here - brushing her precious pink hair. Oh! How he loved her hair! Almost right away all of the hints of weariness disappeared from his eyes and his face, replaced with happiness. He didn't want to show her how hard he had been working. It wasn't her place to worry. He wanted her to know that everything was perfect and happy... just that he was busy. Not tired. No. Never to tired for her.

The boy knocked on the window and moved into the light and grinned seeing her. He whined and let out a pout as the girl came over and said she wasn't opening the window. What? Why did she look so irritated at him? Waah! Was she mad that he hadn't been to see her in two weeks? But she had said she understood! WHat was wrong? What had happened to irritate his princess? "Oh come on, beautiful!" he cried, pouting as his eyes grew sad. "It's cold out here! I'm freezing my scrubs off!" He stopped and grinned at the joke. He had been in such a rush to go from the hospital to see Jared, then from Jared to see Layla he hadn't changed or slept for at least two days. "I even came in uniform, see? I had to leave my white coat at the hospital in my locker though. Come on, my love! Please let me in!" he begged as he moved his jacket aside so the girl could see his dark blue scrubs and the name tag that was still attached to his breast pocket. All of his papers and such were in his backpack in his car which was parked a few blocks away as usual. His beeper, to his annoyance, was in his pocket in case something came up. "I'll behave, my darling! Please!"

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla was brushing her hair for the millionth time out of annoyance. She was going to go bald if she kept this up, but it was the only thing to somewhat calm her even if it didn't show. The girl was wearing a pink tank top with matching silk pajamas and fuzzy white slippers. Layla had let out a sound of pain when she found a knot in her hair. Why was she so irritable? It was because earlier today she had had discovered a tape her father had. So, she had decided to take a look see what it was. When she popped the tape in the VCR a screen showed up of Jared and his crew. At first she was excited when she spotted Chiaki, but soon frowned when the male seemed to act different on television. He was a lot colder…angrier and no sign of any sort of happiness or playfulness in his voice. It was like he was a complete different person. She was sure it was him because who could have the same cute face as him?

It saddened her and at the same time made her angry at the way he was acting. Did he always act like that around the gang? Even at one point she questioned herself if this playfulness attitude he always showed her was a lie. What if he was using her to gather information? However she stopped those thoughts quickly. Chiaki wouldn't use her like that…no…not her Chiaki. He wouldn't…would he? So, ever since she saw that tape she had been put in a sour mood, but made sure to drop the attitude around her father incase of suspicions. He was currently resting in his room since he was quite tired from a day of hard work. Layla pulled loose from her thoughts when she discovered another knot. "Ow! I have been brushing my hair for the past hour and knots are NOW showing up!"

The woman shouted at herself as she glanced into the mirror. Maybe she should just go to bed? Otherwise she'll be bald soon. Layla gave her hair one last brush when there was a knock on the window. Layla set her brush down onto the vanity table and she could see Chiaki through the mirror. She turned around on the stool and walked over to the sliding doors and pushed the curtains aside. Layla showed no sign of happiness in her face and simply crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not opening the door." Layla said stubbornly as the male whined towards her. Layla stared at the male as he showed her his uniform which looked quite silly on him as he continued to beg and said he would behave. Sighing, she opened the door for him. As much as she was unhappy she couldn't allow him to freeze to death.

Once the male was inside the room she hadn't said a word and grabbed his hand and led him over to her TV. Grabbing the remote from off the top of the TV she had turned it on. She still had the tape in the VCR to the spot where Chiaki showed up. Pressing play, she had used her free hand to point at the screen with a frown surfacing upon her face. "Care to explain that?" Layla asked as she set the remote back on top of the TV. "I almost went bald because of this!" Layla said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You better have a good explanation."

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki grinned as the other opened the door for him. Ah! She was mad but not pissed. He stepped into the room and rubbed his hands together furiously to try to warm them. Before he was warmer and got to the chance to pulled the girl into hie arms, he was being pulled silently away from the balcony and to the tv? He gave her a look. Even if she was mad she didn't usually have him watch television. What was going on? "What on Earth are you doing?" he asked curiously as she turned the tv on. Instantly... an image of his gang came up. Just not that... it was in the base! The boy visibly paled. "Where did you get this?" he asked frantically, bending down in front of the television. Fuck. He had to figure out from when and where this video was from. When was sometime earlier this week. Not on business... it was just a meeting to discuss... anything really. He listened to Jared's words and sighed in relief as it was nothing important. He remembered this day. They had said nothing useful. Fuck! If they had this one video... There had to be more videos like this. What else did that bastard have on tape? The boy blinked and pulled from his thoughts as the girl ranted about going bald and asked him to explain it. "Explain what?" he asked, staring at her curiously. "Listen, Layla. I really need to know how you got th-"

Chiaki stopped and fell back onto his ass the other yelled and pointed to the screen again. This time pointing to him and yelling about HIM. Huh? The male turned his head to the video and blinked. What did she mean? He was just acting nor..mal... oh. She had never seen him like that, had she? Even when they first met he hadn't been that cold. "Oh, that!" he said with a laugh. Now he understood. Layla had been freaking out about it.. being a cute girl. She had started to think, huh? Asking herself which side of him was the act and which was true. The male hopped up and brushed himself off. With ease he moved to the girl and pulled her into his arms, ignoring the squirming and screams to let her go. "Watashi no koi, you are overreacting. What you see on the video.." Here he paused and moved the two so they could both see Jared speaking where Chiaki was saying something in agreement. She was now in his arms so that they were both facing the television, his arms resting on her stomach and holding her tightly so she couldn't escape. "That is not me. Do you think I could act like this in front of them and still be alive? No, I could not." He stopped again long enough to kiss her neck, his face resting there comfortably as he did whenever he was comforting her. "Aishiteru, Layla. You are the only person who can see me like this. Who I can trust enough to act like this around. Do not think that person on the video is me.

_(Layla's POV)_

"Where else would I have gotten it? My father had it lying around and I was bored and watched it." The girl replied with a scoff before glaring over at Chiaki. He still didn't know why she was mad did he? Sometimes he could be so clueless! She was even POINTING at him! Directly at him! It wasn't like the tape had any juicy little secrets anyways. Just a boring conversation. When he asked her to explain she continued to point at the television screen and stomped her right foot against the solid floor. "YOU! Not anyone else…YOU!" Layla shouted as she felt herself loose her patience with him. Her eyes shot back over to the boy when he had fallen on his butt.

Layla felt herself sigh in annoyance when the other finally figured out why she was so mad. She should have beaten him with her brush. Oooh how she wanted to run over and grab it about now. She would probably slip in the process though due to the slippery floors and her slippers. The girl pulled away from her thoughts when Chiaki hopped up from the floor and pulled her into his arms. Layla let out a grunt and tried to escape from his grip, but it was too tight. "Lemme go! Lemme go!" The girl shouted as she tried to squirm her way out of his arms as he told her she was overreacting. Overreacting? She was overreacting? Layla glanced up at the male with a angry look on her face as he shifted so that they were both facing the TV.

Layla was about to yell once more, but came to a stop when the male had told her the male in the video was not him. It wasn't him? YEAH RIGHT! It looked exactly like her love puppy! Layla was going to make that comment, but the boy had explained further about the video of him. As much as she was angry right now…he had a point. If he acted the way he did with her towards them he would get a beaten for sure. It was just…so weird on how different he seemed. "Of course you don't act like you do with me towards them. The second you call one of them darling or princess you would be dead. Actually…maybe not since most of them are gay." Layla scoffed before letting out a small grunt when her neck was kissed. She hated it when he did that! He was trying to woo her with his gentle words of comfort and damn it was starting to work.

Sighing, she looked up at him and had given him a frown. "Good. It makes me feel better that I am the only one to be able to see you like this. However…it is kind of sexy how tough you were trying to be. I will admit that much." The woman said as she allowed a smile to sneak onto her face. God it was hard…VERY hard to stay mad at him as much as she tried. "Also, are you trying to woo me with your words, ehhh?" She asked with a laugh.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki only chuckled at the gay comment. If anyone said that to their face... well... they would get the fuck beat out of them. Gay or not, they didn't like to be called it. It was such a negative word in today's society. The male rocked Layla gently in his arms and closed his eyes with a small smile as she spoke more. He hummed and nodded his head a bit. "'M not trying to be tough in the video. I am... and I do find myself quite sexy." he chuckled and nuzzled against her neck. Her next question made the boys eyes open, the teal orbs glistening with amusement. "That all depends, beautiful. Is it working?" He grinned and kissed her cheek and spoke without waiting for her to reply. "Of course it is. You cannot resist this face!" The boy let go of her and moved in front of her and gave her a pout before laughing.

"Ah, but either way. I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore. I wish you hadn't seen this video though... but at the same time i'm glad you showed me." Chiaki bent down in front of the tv and hit the eject button. He HAD to take this back to Jared TONIGHT. Jared would ask questions, but he'd be so pissed about it he wouldn't care. It was easy now to figure out whose chair this was coming from... the same person sat in it every... EVERY damn day. Jared was going to have fun with this. The boy took the tape and sighed, straightening with it in his hand. "Ah, i'm sorry to drag you into this, Layla, but I have to take this with me." he said and looked at her with a gentle frown. "I try not to involve you in this business... but I can't walk away without this. I hope you understand?" He set the tape gently onto the vanity table before walking over to her, his arms wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer to his body. "Thank you for telling me why you were angry with me." he said and kissed her forehead gently. "I'm glad that I could explain this out the right way. I would be devastated if the love of my life left me for something like this!" he said a whine in his voice as the playfulness came back.

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla closed her eyes for a moment as the boy started to hum and rock her in his arms. Well, at least this was over with and she can sort of relax now. Layla allowed her eyes to open as the other claimed that he was tough before also mentioning that he found himself sexy. Haha, he was such a funny boy. "Of course you do, but I'm sexier right?" The woman asked with amusement dripping her voice as she was then nuzzled against. The girl had raised a brow when the other had spoken and before she could reply he had beaten her to it. "Ohh? I can't resist your face Chi-Chi? I think it is the opposite." Layla teased as she nuzzled her head against the male comfortably.

When she was released from his grip she had let her eyes glance to the side when the male approached the television. He was going to take the tape, huh? Her father wasn't going to like the fact that it was missing. Hopefully he had made more copies…if not…he was sooo not going to be pleased. The pink haired woman pulled away from her thoughts when Chiaki told her he was glad that she wasn't mad at him anymore. "Well, I don't like being mad at my Chi-Chi. I however forgive you since I'm sooo forgiving." She teased before listening as the boy told her he was going to take the tape with him.

"It is fine. Just say you got it off of one of my father's men. Simple, yet believable." Layla said with a nod as the male set the tape on her vanity table. Her eyes followed his movement as he walked back over to her to wrap his arms around her slender frame. Layla let her arms wrap around his neck as her forehead had been kissed. "Well I'm glad you came the same day that I had saw the tape. Who knows what would happen if it had been another few weeks before I saw you. " The girl said with a soft frown before resting her head against his chest. She chuckled at his next comment and had allowed herself to raise her head to stare up at the male. "I know you would. Poor Chi-Chi would be a lost puppy wagging his tail outside howling for me to come back to him." Layla laughed at the thought before planting a kiss upon his lips. However…in all honesty she would be a complete wreck without Chiaki. Without him…she would be just as lost as he would be.

The girl let the kiss play for a long while before breaking free from the kiss and from his grip. "Now let me see that fancy outfit of yours!" She said with a small smile.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

"Of course you're sexier, Princess. And I doubt any man, straight or gay, could resist your perfect and beautiful face." he said with an innocent little smile. As much as it sounded like he was only complimenting her like he always did, he meant every word that he said. Hehe. She, somewhere in that cute little head of hers, knew that. It wasn't JUST the fact that he was wooing her with his actions and words... he was completely sincere about it. About everything he ever said to her. She was perfect, and beautiful, and his princess. She was everything. She was his everything... hehe. But if he said that out loud the girl would either thank him and tease him or get all huffy and blush. Either reaction was adorable and worth it. Before he could say his thoughts out loud, she had already moved on to a new subject. Ayaa. How disappointing! Perhaps he would get her later with sweet words... heehee. "I know you are." he said and took her hand into his gently and kissed it. "I don't know what a simple man like me has done to deserve such perfection." He grinned at her and let her hand drop gently as she spoke of the tape. He merely shrugged, currently not wanting to discuss it. He was glad that there was no argument about the tape. If her safety was in danger he would gladly not have taken the tape, but since her father wouldn't suspect his precious daughter, there was no need for worry. He would, like Layla was hinting at, blame one of his men. Layla was never under suspicion. Even if she flat out admitted it... he would never believe her. His princess was safe and that was all that mattered. So he felt fine about taking the tape to give to Jared. Oi... it was going to be a long day today. After spending time with Layla he would have to go right back to Jared and handle this. What a long day. He had been hoping to spend the rest of the day, and perhaps the night, with her. Now things had changed. He had to see Jared as SOON as possible.

"Ah, exactly. We can't have the Princess over thinking things, him? Then this little puppy of a prince would be most disappointed and depressed!" Here he laughed to hide the truth. If Layla had ended up leaving him for anything... well... he'd just be miserable. It would only show in the gang through more cruelty and anger... but when he was alone... bah! It was such a depressing thought! He hated to think about what he would do without his princess. It would just be... ah. Sad. He knew that some day they would have to leave each other. He was not an immortal as she was and he was not going to allow her to sit by his side through HIS life while HE grew old and died in front of her. No. That would be far more cruel than just leaving her. Some day... some day he would have to leave for her sake. Not today, and sure as FUCK not tomorrow. But it had to happen. Some day. He would die alone before making her watch him die. It wouldn't be easy to leave his princess and would likely have to be done... cruelly. Ah! No! He could not think of that for now! He loved her today and forever and that was all that mattered right now.

After the kiss was over and she spoke, Chiaki grinned. "Oh yeah!" He said. The boy pulled away from his pink haired beauty and pulled his jacket off. He tossed it next to the tape and spread his arms out so she could see him better. "Don't I look so... professional?" He laughed and grinned happily. "It's against the rules to take the coat out of the hospital unless it's an emergency so that's just incentive to come see me at work!" he teased. Ah. He loved his job! Sure... it was hard. Tiring. Took away any life outside the hospital. But it was worth it. He was unsure yet how many lives he had helped save. How many he had tried and failed to save already. It was hard work... and this kept him up at night. Never before could he not sleep because of death. He was, after all, in a gang. He had killed more people than he remembered. Killed people that had nothing to do with him. Killed them in cold blood. While they were alone, with people, with family, with a lover. None of those had ever kept him up at night. But failing to save a life? Yes. Yes that was enough to keep him up. So even when he had time to sleep he couldn't. Often time he ended up staring at the ceiling just thinking about everything. The gang, his job.. Layla.

Chiaki pulled from his negative thoughts and went back to the girl. He pulled her into his arms and twirled gently without letting her go. "Ah, my love! How I love my work!" he said with a happy sigh. It was... half the truth. He loved it. He hated it. It was his job but he defiantly loved it more than he hated it. The happiness of a life saved... of a child looking up at him with curious eyes when he was assigned to the children's ward. When he was on call and had nothing to do, that was often where he was found. Playing with and cheering up the cancer patients or the children. In the hospital if he needed to be found... that was often where he was. "Not as much as I love you, of course." He pulled her into his arms once more and kissed her head softly. "Ah... i've really missed you." he said suddenly, his head nuzzling against hers. "I hate that my work is taking me away from you for so long.."

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla watched in amusement as the other stepped back from her and had spread his arms out. The woman snickered as she moved a hand to her lips. It looked silly on him, but it was amusing to say the least. "My Chi-Chi looks verrry professional. " The pink haired girl teased with a smirk on her face as the other had told her he had to keep the coat at work. That was too bad since she wanted to see him wear the coat too. When the male hinted for her to come see him at work, she had let out a thought noise and tapped her finger against her lips. " Alright, sometime this week I will come and see you." Layla nodded with a smile forming on her lips.

It would be nice to get away from the mansion to go see him at work. He would probably be extremely busy, but it would be worth it just to see him in that coat, hehe. She would just have to tell her father she was going on another shopping spree and hoped he would believe her. Then again…he always believed what she said. That had its benefits in situations like these, but also…it could be a pain at times. Layla was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when Chiaki had her into his arms and twirled her. Again…a squeak escaped her lips, but she laughed afterwards. No matter what he always knew how to catch her off guard. "Aw, well I'm happy. Because if Chi-Chi didn't love his work Layla would be soo sad. " Oh god she was talking in third person.

It was nice that Chiaki enjoyed his work since no one should do something that they truly hate. It couldn't be helped sometimes, but that was how she felt about it. The woman pulled away from her thoughts when the male said that he loved her more than his work though. Haha, of course he did. When she was pulled closer to him she had smiled up at the male. "I know I missed you too. " The woman replied with a nod as her head was kissed.

"I know, but it can't be helped right? I promise to visit you sometime this week at work. I might even bring you lunch." The woman said with a laugh before kissing the male on the lips shortly after her comment. "Even though we may not be able to see each other much at least when we do see each other it is worth the wait, don't you think Chiaki?" Layla asked as she used his real name.

**(Time skipppp. **_**Yeah a bit of time skips with these two.**_**)**

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla had just pulled her hair into a bun with a few strands hanging down against her face. It was annoying her sooo much today, so she had decided to FINALLY put it in the bun. It was around ten o'clock at night and she had just put on her pajamas as well. It was a light blue lacy nightgown that went to her knees. It was somewhat itchy, but she didn't mind it. Layla peered into her bathroom mirror before grabbing her toothbrush, but before she could do anything with it…there was a knock. Father? …No…it was coming from the sliding door. Chiaki!

Layla dropped the toothbrush down onto the counter and rushed out the bathroom and over to her sliding doors. Her father was home once again, so he had to climb the tree. Heh. Pushing the curtains aside she spotted the male there grinning like crazy. "My Chi-Chi has come to see me? Hehe… " Layla snickered a little before unlocking the sliding door and allowed him to come inside.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki gently placed the box onto the balcony before hopping onto it after. Then, swiftly, he picked the box up and went over to the glass door and knocked gently. He wanted... ah. No. He needed to give his precious girl something. Something to keep her company while he was at word. It was the night after Chiaki had taken the tape to Jared. Jared was dealing with the... traitor alone so everyone was free. The second he got away from the hospital he went to the pound and adopted a kitten. For Layla, of course. It was a black and white cat. One blue eye and one brown eye, so it was a... strange thing. Which was why others didn't want it and why he had got it. The kitten was secured safely inside the box, a small but safe box that he had JUST placed it into in the car, and ready for his princess.

When Layla came over the male grinned. "And I bring gifts!" he said and moved swiftly into the room. He held the box in his arm gingerly. "But first... I need you to give me a kiss and tell me you love me." he teased, holding the box tightly. He grinned as she whined then listened to him, knowing if HE was asking for something... it was good. "Now.. be gentle with the box." he said and gently handed it to her and stood back.

_(Layla's POV)_

"Gifts? But isn't my birthday…or near any holidays." The girl said thoughtfully as Chiaki made his way inside her room. Her eyes spotted the box he was holding and had raised a brow. What was in the box? Clothes? Jewelry? …A cake? The girl was just about to ask the male, but the male said he needed a kiss and an 'I love you,' from him. Layla whined a little, but had done what she was told to anyways. The pink haired woman stepped in front of the male and gave him a kiss on the lips. She let it play for a small while before breaking it. "I love you." Layla told the male with a smile before she was handed the box. It was somewhat heavy and something…was moving around.

"Ok…, but why is there something moving in it?" Layla questioned, but got no answer from Chiaki and received only a grin. Layla raised her brow at him, but decided to open the box anyways. The woman moved her hand open the top part of it and quickly enough a head of a kitten poked its head out at her. Layla quickly gasped and her eyes widened at the sight of the kitten. It…was…so CUTE! Layla grabbed the kitten softly out of the box and held it close to her as it meowed softly. "Chiaki! The kitten is so cute! Oh, it has different colored eyes too! Aw! Thank you! "

Layla wanted to run over and attack the male, but she did not want to squish the cute kitten in the process. "Where did you get it at? Is it a he or a she? It is SO cute!" Layla set the box down on the ground and started to scratch under the kitten's chin as it purred. Hearing that the kitten was a she it caused her to smile. "You are going to be spoiled like a princess. What should I name her? " Layla asked as she peered down at the cat before walking over to Chiaki to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Hmm, how about Alli?"

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki grinned as the girl opened the boy and squealed. He loved making her happy... He highly doubted that when she mentioned a cat she wasn't really expecting one. Now that she had one... ah. She looked so happy. "You're welcome, cutie." he said with a grin and watched as she started to freak out. "I adopted her from the little kitty orphanage." he said with a laugh. Chiaki dropped down onto the bed and kicked off his shoes before pulling his legs under him and sitting cross legged as the other whined about the name. "S'up to you." he said with a smile as she kissed his cheek and picked a name. "Allie, eh?" he asked before falling onto his back on the bed. "Sounds like a perfect name for the cat of a perfect gal." The boy grinned and turned his head to look at the girl. Ahh. She looked... so happy.

"I'm glad you like your gift." he said and sat up slowly, leaning and resting on his elbows. He stared at her happily then froze. Fuck! There was knocking on the door. He rolled with ease off the bed and rolled under it. He tucked his feet under the bed curtain and kicked it to make sure it was correctly fixed. That was his usual hiding place. There was boxes he could push around to hide himself completely if needed, but for now he was fine. If the dad said something about... something that was bad then he could silently and swiftly move the boxes around. This was probably something that was very... very bad to be good at!

_(Layla's POV)_

"Well aren't you sweet?" Layla asked as the other had spoken before crawling onto her bed. Layla had set the kitten on the floor so it could explore her room a little. Layla looked up at the male with a smile on her face. "So did you bring any cat food with you?" The woman asked the man since she didn't want the kitten to starve tonight due to the fact she didn't have any food for the cat. Hell, she needed a litter box too. Before she could ask some more questions there was a knock on the door. Crap her father! Layla watched as Chiaki went to hide under her bed. When there was another knock, she had made her way over to the door.

"Coming father!" The woman said as she unlocked and opened the bedroom door. "Yes? What is it?" The girl asked as the man peered at her with a stern look on his face. " _I heard yelling, what is going on in -_" Her father stopped talking when Alli appeared next to her leg meowing softly. Crap. "_Where did that cat come from Layla?_" The older male asked her as he crossed his arms.

The pink haired woman let out a small chuckle before poking her father in the chest playfully. "Father that noise you heard was me squeaking when I was climbing a tree. You see I almost had fallen off the tree to save this little kitten. She was meowing and I wanted to rescue her. " Layla said with a sweet smile and before her father could reply she had spoken.

"Can I keep her father? I always did want my very own kitten. Plus we need food and a litter box." Her father was silent for a moment, but sighed deeply and nodded in agreement before walking away followed by a "_You can keep it, but you better take good care of it. I'll go pick up things for it now. However once I come back I can't stay long. I have something important I have to attend to._" Layla nodded and closed the door and locked it behind her.

God that was close. It was a good thing that she was a good liar. Looking over towards the bed, she had smirked. "Coast is clear Chi-Chi."

_(Chikai's POV)_

Chiaki held his breath as he hid under the bed. Damn her father! He was always knocking at the... well, this time was actually not bad. He didn't HAVE a cat food or litter box. He didn't even know how he had managed to climb the damn tree without dropping the box and the poor kitty down onto the ground. He was happy he didn't and all, but how the hell did she expect him to do THAT? The male adjusted himself a bit and listed carefully. YES! He was going to be gone? He was going to pick up the stuff, which would take a half hour or longer, then he would drop the stuff off, ten minutes, then leave... for who knows how long! Yes Yes Yes! He was so happy. He grinned happily and squirmed. A second later the door closed, locked, then Layla spoke. He rolled out and jumped up, a grin plastered on his face. "Does that mean I can stay tonight, Princess?" he asked eagerly. He knew that he was on call and everything for the entire night... but still! If it meant he could spend more time with her... well, even the littlest bit of time was worth it. Before she could reply, he continued.

"Come on, cutie!" he said and swiped the cat up into his arms. He held Allie up near his face and waved her cute little paw back and forth. "Little Allie wants me to staaay! Pleeeease, princess?"

(Layla's POV)

Layla laughed when Chiaki rolled out from under her bed. It still kind of shocked her that her father could never sense Chiaki in her room. Then again he probably let his guard down in the house and wouldn't think someone would be in her room without knowing it. Shrugging the thought away her eyebrow rose at the question that came out of Chiaki's mouth. "Stay the night? Hmm, I'm not sure. Should 'you' spend the night?" The woman teased before watching as the kitten made its way over to the male before it had been picked up.

"Hmm…" Layla pretended to think deeply about all of it as she tapped her finger against her lips. Of course she was going to say yes, but she loved to tease the male. After a moment or so, she had grinned towards the male. "Well if Allie wants you to stay then you can stay. " The girl said with a happy smile before heading over to the man to scratch the kitten's ear.

Layla kissed the male on his cheek before walking over to her bed before crawling onto it. "Since you got me a cat I need to get you something. I don't know what, but I will think of something. Isn't that right Allie?" Layla asked the kitten, but it just stared at her. " Allie says yes." Layla laughed before grabbing one of her round pillows and setting it in her lap. " Do you think she is thirsty? I could get her some milk for the time being." Layla offered as she stared at the male.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki turned his lips into a frowny pout as the girl pretended to think about it. Waah! She was such a tease! She never denied him staying over before, why was she being such a bum? He stopped and grinned as she said yes then came over and crawled onto the bed. The boy set the kitten on the bed gently before crawling onto it next to Layla. When she spoke the male shook his head. "Allie is only agreeing with you because you two are girls." he teased with another fake pout. "You don't need to buy me anything, Princess. It's my job to spoil you, not the other way around." He rolled over and pulled the girl into his arms and rested his head onto hers gently, pulling the pillow from her grip and tossing it aside. "She was eating when I got her... she's got quite the apatite." He laughed and fell silent again, choose this time to stop and stare at her with a gentle smile. "So are you really happy with your gift, my love?

_(Layla's POV)_

"Nonsense!" The girl said as the male said that the kitten was only agreeing with her because she was a girl. Hehe. Layla let her eyes follow Chiaki as he crawled onto the bed next to her before setting Allie on the bed. "Trueee and I do enjoy the spoiling, but it wouldn't be fair if I was the one who always received gifts." Layla said with nod before moving a hand to pet the kitten. However Layla had stopped petting the kitten when Chiaki had pulled her into his arms. Layla chuckled lightly before smiling up at the man. "Aw, how cute. " The woman replied with a small smirk before blinking up at the male. "Of course I am. This is the best gift I have ever got. It beats all the clothing and material items. I'm surprised you remembered me saying that I wanted a cat." The girl said with a laugh before moving a hand to touch his cheek softly. "Hehe."

**END~ ;D Muwahah. I know this chapter is a bit boring compared to others, but the next one will be interesting. PROMISE. OR BEAT ME WITH A PICKLE.**


	15. WHAT?

FIFTEENTH CHAPTER! :'D

**Drama DRAMA DRAMAAAAA~**

_**(~Continuing where I left off~)**_

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole yawned a little as he entered a store that held a whole bunch of art supplies. He and Mattie had a project to work on, and he suggested that he would get the things that they needed. Of course Mattie tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted and the other gave in. Cole walked over to grab two posters that they needed and glue and glitter. The boy moved a hand into his hair before walked in line for the cash register. The male was wearing a pair of black jeans with lime green plaid on it and he wore a black beater with Gir on it. For shoes he wore his black platforms with lime green laces. Haha he went all out today. Everyone gave him such strange looks, but it didn't bother him in the least. Cole just simply smiled at them and they quickly turned their heads. Why were people so scared of…people who looked different? Cole snapped out of his thoughts when it was his turn in line. Cole reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the money to pay for the items he had grabbed.

After about four minutes, he had the stuff bagged and he was on his way out of the store. Cole stepped through the automatic doors and headed towards his truck. The male got used his keys to unlock it before pulling himself into it. Setting the bag on the passenger seat his eyes happened to glance to the side. It was a couple being all lovey dovey, but when he noticed the male's face, he had paled. The male that he saw…was Jared…and he was kissing on the girl's neck. His stomach felt like it had exploded and his eyes widened even more when they kissed mouth to mouth. "What the hell!"

Cole could feel his hands shaking as they disappeared out of sight. Why…was Jared with some lady…and kissing her? They….had been together as a couple for two months and things seemed to go well, but now this? Jared explained all of the immortal stuff, pursued him in a way only to CHEAT on him? Cole moved his hand to wipe his eyes for any tears forming in the corner of his eyes before he took off towards the home. Cole's thoughts were racing everywhere and it was making him even more sad…and panicky. When he arrived at the house, he parked his truck and stepped outside it before locking the truck.

The small boy ran up to the door, unlocked it and ran inside and towards the living room. Dropping the keys on the coffee table his hands had went into his hair. How could Jared CHEAT on him? For some… GIRL? SOME RANDOM CHICK! Jared always did strike him as a player in a way, but after everything happened between them he didn't think the boy would do this kind of thing. Cole held back his tears and grabbed a pillow and chucked it across the room in anger before sitting on the couch. He HAD to confront Jared when got home. If the person he saw was Jared, and he admitted to cheating and not some 'Oh I had to do it to get information about the other gang' then he was breaking up with Jared. No matter what he could not date a cheater. Once a cheater always a cheater.

What even made him upset about the whole thing was that he was genuinely falling for Jared. His so called Maybe I do…kind of like him kind of feelings deepened so much, and he could truly say that he loved the male, and to find out that he may have been cheated on made him want to cry SO bad and just kick and scream until he had no voice left. He felt like he was being played by some cruel demon who just liked him for his own personal amusement. Immortal or not…it just…wasn't right! Why BE with someone if you were going to be disloyal to them and do things like this behind their back? He rather be alone then to be used like this.

Cole moved his face into his hand and held back the tears that wanted to so badly come out. Cole bit his lip to try to stop them just as he heard someone coming through the door. His head rose up from his hands and his facial expression was a mixture of sadness and anger coursing through him as Jared entered the room. "Are you cheating on me?" The boy asked the other quite bluntly while interrupting whatever Jared started to say. There was no reason to try and beat around the bush. If he wanted an honest answer from the man, then he should be straightforward about this.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared yawned lightly and got out of his car slowly. He groaned and stretched out. Oh, he was getting old. Very old. When getting in and out of his car was getting PAINFUL? What the fuck was going on with his body lately? Was he falling apart? Ah, nonsense. He was as strong as ever. As brilliant as ever. The male grinned at his self confidence and his ability to cheer himself up before straightening and heading up the steps and into the house. It was a tad bit odd for Cole to be home so soon though. It was early and usually he hung out with Mattie after school. A fight? Or did Mattie have a date with Liam? Either way this was just longer that the kid would have to irritate him. Not that he minded anymore. The boy grinned to himself before heading in through the door and closing it behind him loudly. He stretched and headed into the living room and blinked seeing a very... strange looking Cole? He looked sad and angry at the same time. Who had pissed him off today?

"Who pissed in your che-" Jared froze and stared at the male as he interrupted. Cheating? He blinked and cocked his head to one side before walking over to the couch. He dropped down and laughed, looking at the kid with an amused face. "What on Earth are you talking about, kiddo?" He asked, the amusement showing in his voice though disappeared as the other ranted a bit. About some girl he was with in the city today? Did he mean Rosie? That had been the only girl he had been with today, so it had to be. What the fuck was Cole doing in the city around two fucking o-clock when he was supposed to be in fucking school? What a little bitch. "Oh, her." he said and shrugged lazily, not showing if he cared or not. "I doubt i'd call it cheating, but what's it matter anyways?" Jared looked back to the boy and watched him carefully.

What DID it matter? It wasn't like Cole had ever said anything to him. There was never a 'i love you' or a kiss or any shit like that. Sure, Cole kept his mouth shut about the secret. He liked to cuddle and all that stupid shit... but there was nothing else. Not that Jared needed that sweet shit or anything, it was just... odd. He WAS a guy, after all. As stupid as it sounded, he did have needs. He could control them, sure, but where was the fun in that? They were needs that Cole... well... Cole was Cole and he was a bitch. A virgin bitch who Jared was NOT going to push into something he was obviously not ready for. If he pushed Cole to far for that kind of shit then he'd get scared and run off then he'd have to kill the kid. He didn't want to do that. Jared had tried to push him once, the kid said stop, and he did. He hadn't tried again after that or even brought it up. It didn't matter anymore. But now. What the hell was Cole's problem? What did he EXPECT him to do? Sit around like a bitch with nothing? He had women who were willing to give it up in the area's where Cole was not. Besides. It hadn't been a date. He took the stupid bitch to get things she had needed before she would do anything with him. Fucking bitch.

The boy almost laughed when the male spoke again. Ah, he really was a girl. No. No, he wasn't a girl. He was still only a child. "I'm not dating that woman!" he said with a laugh. "She's a fucking idiot with a hot body and big breasts. Why the fuck would I date some as... stupid as she is? She's in community college and in basic fucking classes. She knows beauty and shoes. She's so fucking dumb I can't even talk about books to her. I say laptop and she thinks i'm telling her to sit on me." he said with another laugh. "I am dating you, idiot. Why would you think otherwise? Just because you see my arm around some girls waist? It doesn't mean anything. He shrugged and shook his head at the boys worries. What a kid.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole felt his eyes harden a bit when the other had given him a look and asked what he was talking about. Either he was trying to play it off, or he did not understand what was going on. Ugh. " Are you cheating on me with some girl? I saw you in the city today Jared and with that woman!" Cole shouted as he felt himself getting all worked up over this, but he had a right to know and a right to act like this right? He had never cheated on Jared, or even thought about it once he was in a relationship with the boy. The light blue haired boy snapped out of his thoughts when Jared recognized whom he was talking about, he shrugged and acted like it was nothing. What…he wasn't even going to TRY to deny it? At this point Cole's heart felt like it was about to explode and his eyes started to shake.

"Why are you acting like this isn't a big deal! Why are you dating some woman when you are DATING me? What the hell is that about?" Cole snapped as he hopped off of the couch and backed away from the other as he felt a lump in his throat form. The boy could feel his head start to spin when the male started to rant on how she was some bimbo with a hot body and that he is dating him. It doesn't mean anything…? What was WRONG with him? "I didn't just see your arm around her waist, I saw you kissing her neck and her lips! S-Stop acting like this is some game to you! It may not mean something to you but it means a shit load to me. Just because she may have a hot body does not mean you should be kissing up on her and probably having SEX with her when you are with someone else! " Cole shouted as he could feel the tears running down his face.

He could not stop the tears now, he was SO angry…sad…and hurt. Jared did not look sorry at all and seemed to shrug everything off as if it is nothing. Was he just some prize to the boy? He was NOT going to be with someone who was going to treat him and act like this. No way in hell. That was fucking bullshit. When the other asked why this was a big deal to him and questioned his crying, Cole had lost it. He started bawling away and he tried to use his arm to wipe away the tears. "Why does it matter! Why am I crying? ARE YOU SERIOUS? I-IT matters because the person I am starting to fall deeply in love with CHEATED on me and doesn't feel the least sorry! I didn't know I was that meaningless to you! If I would have known you were going to treat me like this I would have NEVER agreed to this."

Cole moved both hands to wipe his eyes from crying and as much as he hated to cry in front of people, he just couldn't stop it. Now Jared was silent and only his sobbing and sniffling could be heard and it was driving him crazy. He had NOTHING to say? "You know what? FORGET IT! I am breaking this off! If you are going to act like and treat me like this then I am DONE with it." Cole shouted as he felt his lower lip tremble. As much as he didn't want to break it off…he couldn't be with someone who was going to be disrespectful towards him.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared raised an eye brow as the other started to freak out and scream. Jeeze, someone really must have pissed in his cheerio's this morning. He really was nothing more than a child if he was screaming and freaking out because he was having sex with one girl. What did sex mean to him anymore? Generally not much. It was just a way to get out some stress that he wasn't allowed to use to kill. WHY the fuck was the kid screaming and... crying? Fuck! Out of everything that brat could have done, he was CRYING? Ugh, maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. Cole was young... to young to have any fucking idea what the hell he was talking about when it came to sex. Sex. Was. Not. Fucking. Important with someone who wasn't important! What an idiot! And... ugh, he was still crying! Jared would have preferred being attacked or hit. Why CRYING? "Why the fuck is that a big deal? And why are you crying?" he asked and stared at the kid, confused though not letting any of it show. Sure... he was 'with' someone else, that person being Cole, but wasn't going to push Cole into doing the kind of things that Jared's body wanted and needed half the time. Stupid virgin kid.

Love? Eh? The kid only barely mentioned the word, but it was there. He raised an eye brow at him as he ranted and started to rub his eyes... but the kids next words froze him. Almost right away he stood up, his eyes cold. "Go ahead and try." he said, his voice and eyes like ice. "I. Dare. You." Of course, at this and his cold tone, Cole froze and only started to cry harder again. He knew when Jared was angry and serious... and when Jared was standing and not sitting he meant business. The male huffed and dropped back onto the couch when Cole didn't move from his spot. He pondered a moment before ignoring whatever the kid had to say. More crying about how he was cheating and the girl or whatever. Something about how Jared was going to kill him? Bah, whatever. Instead of speaking he held up his hand and silenced the boy.

After a moment he moved against the edge of the couch and patted his lap, motioning for the kid to sit there. He could tell Cole really, really didn't want to be that close, but the look on Jared's face left no room for an argument. The blue eyed male waited patiently for the other to obey and once he did, and muttered a pathetic _'well'_. The male wrapped his arms around the kid and tugged him closer without saying anything. He sat there in silence for a few moments before moving his head and kissing the kid on the neck gentle and soft. "You're an idiot." he said, his voice and face not changing to show if he was joking or serious. "You're not meaningless to me, kid. Do you really think I would let someone I don't care about get this close to me." Here he paused and tightened the grip on him so show him that he meant not only by Cole sitting on his lap... but other ways to. Usually, people who had moved in with him he had kicked out by now. Not Cole though. He wanted Cole here where he could keep an eye on him. He wanted Cole to be nearby. Without much of a pause, he continued to speak before Cole could interrupt. "How am I supposed to know what's cheating and what's not, hm? You've never told me how you feel, you know. To an old geezer like me, sex with a girl who means nothing to me is nothing to me. With some random girl who i'll likely never meet again, it's nothing. It only ever matters if it's someone I care about, stupid." He paused an allowed Cole to think that over. Heh, he sometimes forgot that Cole forgot what he was. He wasn't human. He had MORE than enough time to figure these things out and he had. Sex was nothing to him with someone he didn't care about. To Cole? Well, he hadn't had it so to him it was something sacred you did with someone that you loved. But... if Cole never told him straight out that he loved him, how was he supposed to know?

"You've only ever told me that you liked me." He reminded the kid gently, kissing his ear before moving his head down and resting his chin on the kids shoulder. "That word, like, doesn't mean much to me as it might to you. I'm fucking old as the dirt, kid. If you want me to stop, then tell me how you do feel." Cole had mentioned the word love, but it wasn't a direct _'i love you'_. It was a 'i've fallen in love with you' shit. That wasn't the same thing to someone who had an endless amount of time. Jared wasn't going to spend his fucking time running in circles trying to figure out what the kid was thinking. He wanted to know. Flat out. From his mouth what the fuck was on his mind. Jared was not a fucking girl. He didn't sense emotions and never bothering trying to learn. He had the time to, sure, but fuck that shit. Someone who didn't just tell him usually wasn't worth his time. As far as Jared was concerned, if he didn't hear it right from Cole's mouth then it wasn't true. Jared wanted to hear it from the kids mouth.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole felt his eyes widen a little when Jared had gotten off the couch and dared him to leave. The boy could tell by the standing and the cold tone in his voice that he was not messing around. Cole felt himself start to cry harder as he moved his hands to wipe his eyes once again. "S-So are you telling me that if I leave I die, and if I stay I will still be cheated on?" The boy shouted towards the other as he took another step back. This was not fair at all! It was either die or put up with the cheating! He did not want to die…but…he also did not want Jared to cheat on him either. It felt like he was fighting a loosing battle. The boy was about to say something to Jared, but there was a hand silencing him. Cole choked back a cry as Jared had then patted his lap for him to sit in it. He did not want to sit in his cheating lap! The boy hesitated for a few moments, but slowly went over to sit on the male's lap because of the look that was showing on Jared's face.

Cole sniffled a little as he used a hand to wipe his now swollen eyes. "Well…?" The boy muttered softly as he peered up at the man. However, he was suddenly pulled closer to an embrace and Cole tried to squirm his way out of it. No! He didn't want to be close to Jared. Not after witnessing all of this! No matter how hard he tried to escape, he could not because of the strong grip Jared had on him. When he was kissed on the neck, he had let out a small cry and tried to move his head away from the male as he was then called an idiot. How the hell was he an idiot?

The light blue haired boy stopped squirming for a moment when the demon told him that he was not meaningless to him. Cole narrowed his eyes at the next comment that came out of Jared's mouth. "If that was true you wouldn't have let HER get close to you either!" The boy snapped before letting out a squeak when he felt himself being held tighter against Jared. Cole let his eyes stare at the male with a frown forming on his lips as the other started to speak before he could. Was he joking? How can someone who lived as long as Jared could not tell the difference between cheating and not cheating!

The smaller boy could feel more tears form in the corner of his eyes as the other said that sex with some random girl meant nothing. That wasn't the point though. Even if it didn't mean anything to him…it meant a lot to Cole. He still cheated and even if Jared could not give two shits about the girl, it did not justify what he had done. Cole pulled out of his thoughts when the other had spoken before kissing his ear. The boy had whined at the kiss before pouting when the other rested his chin on his shoulder and told him to explain how he really felt about Jared if he wanted the other to stop. He…had to explain? That was embarrassing!

"W-Well…of course in the beginning I just 'liked' you when we starting dating. I mean I never thought of you in a romantic kind of way before I found out you liked me. A-After…we were in a relationship…as days gone by I-I realized my feelings started to deepen for you a lot." Cole took this time to try and push back the tears and the stuttering as he looked up at the male with his eyes showing sadness. "I love you Jared…I do! I don't want to break up…since you'll kill me anyways…, but I just don't want to be used…" Cole muttered out softly as he continued to rub his teary and swollen eyes.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared rolled his eyes as the boy comment about how close he and the girl had been in town. THAT was close? He had kissed her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder like he did with any whore."You can't exactly have sex from across the room, kid. But, do you really think I held her like this? Fuck, do you think I let anyone else talk to me like this?" Cole wasn't stupid. He knew that if anyone else talked to him like this, ANYONE including Liam and Chiaki, would get the fucking shit beat out of them. No one, NO ONE, questioned his methods like this. He had never allowed anyone to. They always, always, paid for it in the end. Though Cole wasn't stupid, he was sure as fuck was blind. Blind to how... kind Jared treated him compared to everyone else. What a blood git. Did he really not notice how good he had it? Maybe he should keep Cole around him more often while he beated the other newer members. Then maybe he would realize... maybe.

Jared barely paid any attention as the boy started to speak and looked up at him with those big god damned sad blue eyes of his. Ugh. Crying made them so much... brighter. So much more blue than they were normally. "Yes, I would kill you. I can't risk my secret, even for you." he confirmed without faltering or even sparing a moment for thought of how he would take that. He paused for a moment after and thought before trailing kisses up the males shoulder and to his cheek before he spoke again. "If you had told me you loved me when you figured it out, none of this would have happened you stupid boy." he said gently and leaned his head against the others, the grip around him tightening just a bit. Not enough to hurt him, just enough to pull him even closer. "You cannot cheat on someone who does not love you. Did you know that? Ah, probably not. I forget how young you are." He stopped and kissed the male softly on the crook of his neck. "If you had told me you loved me, I would not have gone to anyone. Now that you have, I will no longer go to anyone. You should have told me instead of holding those feelings inside." Jared released his grip on the boy and moved his hands and tugged Cole's wrists away from his eyes. He leaned forward and over the boys shoulders and kissed the male where his tears had almost stopped.

"I might be old, but I haven't learned to read minds." he said, his hands still holding Cole's wrists tightly, his gaze unfaltering. "From here on, what you do not tell me on a daily basis, I can not and do not know. I am... ah. A forgetful man in my age." He grinned and let go of the boy completely and leaned back against the couch, hinting that Cole could now move if he wanted to. "I must constantly be reminded of things these days, you know."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole frowned deeply when the other had told him that he would kill him because he could not risk his secret exposed. That made him sad in a way since he was very trustworthy and was good at keeping secrets. Then again, he was a human and Jared probably did not trust anyone who knew his secret in the back of his mind as much as he would like to trust someone. Cole was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when Jared to start to kiss from his shoulder up to his cheek. The boy squirmed at the trails of kisses because they tickled, but quickly started to frown when Jared told him none of this would have happened if the other told him how he felt. "I-I didn't think I had to tell you…, plus I never knew when the right time was to tell you..." The light blue haired boy said with sniffle.

Cole had stared at Jared when the other had rested his head against his head and pulled him even closer to Jared. Cole didn't quite understand the whole _" You cannot cheat on someone who does not love you. Did you know that?"_ Cole did not comment on that sentence and only let out a squeak when the crook of his neck was kissed. The smaller boy wiggled in the other's grip, but soon after his Jared grabbed his wrists. Moments later where his tears had fallen were soon kissed by Jared's lips. His face flushed a little, and before he could start to talk, he had hiccupped. Noo! He hated that! Every time when he was almost done crying…he started to hiccup …A LOT. "You m-mean it…?" The boy stuttered out and he received a nod in return.

In the back of his mind there was something that kept coming up. What if Jared was lying? What if he was only saying this to only keep him close? He didn't want to think about it…and he really did love Jared, so it was either take his word for it…, or die. The boy pulled out of his thoughts when Jared informed him that he was forgetful and that he wasn't a mind reader and should be constantly reminded of these things. Cole finally moved his hands to his eyes to wipe any tears that were left after his wrists were let go.

"O-Okay…" The boy sniffled, but did not remove himself from Jared's lap even though the boy hinted in his body language that he could get off now. Cole leaned forwards and pressed his hands against the other's chest before looking up him. "J-Jared…do you love me? " Cole asked as he tilted his head to the side as he frowned towards the male.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared had to force himself not to roll his eyes as the other asked if it was really true. He only nodded his head in reply and watched as the boy hiccupped and was silent for a few moments. Brushing some hair from his face he then watched Cole as he turned in his lap and leaned forward, hands on his chest and looked up. Damn those fucking blue eyes. He blinked at the male and smirked as he cocked his head to the side and spoke. Ah. What an idiot.

"If I didn't, I would have never gone through this much effort." he said and wrapped his arms back around the boy, his hands folding onto his back. He tugged the kid closer to his body and kissed his forehead. He watched in an amused manner as the boy grinned said something then moved forward to kiss him. The boy scoffed to himself and didn't move his lips as the other tried to kiss him. He sat there for a moment and watched as the other pulled away pouting and whining that he wanted a kiss.

The male leaned backed and made a thoughtful sound, pretending to think. "Say please." he said, leaning forward a little, the teasing hint coming back to his voice. He smirked as the other leaned forward a bit and said please. Ah. How cute. He liked this game. "Now, say pretty please." Jared moved just a bit closer and watched as Cole did the same and listened, getting softer and more pouty. This was so funny... he liked this game so much. Ah.

"Now.." he said softly and moved forward so that they were just about kissing, but not quite. "Tell me that you love me." With a blush and a stutter, the other listened. Jared smirked before obeying and leaning forward and kissing the male gently on the lips. Ah, Cole was an idiot. Hopefully he would manage to get just a bit smarter about this sort of things. Jared had years and years for trial and error about love and life. He always forgot that the people he fell for did NOT have that same experience. Even when Cole became an adult, he would still be nothing more than a child. Cole would always be a child to him... but... ah. It didn't matter as much. He was so pure he didn't care he loved an immortal? A demon? Perhaps this could work out for a while... just a while.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole felt somewhat relieved when the other had said if he did not love him, he would not have gone through this much effort. The boy pulled away from his thoughts when Jared had wrapped his arms around him before kissing his forehead. Cole whined at the kiss before speaking. "Don't you want to kiss my lips instead of my forehead?" The male had whined, but decided to grab a hold of Jared's cheeks with both hands. Without saying anything, he had pressed his lips down onto the male's lips, but…Jared didn't kiss back! The boy waited for the other kiss him back, but…nothing was happening.

The boy pulled away from Jared and started to whine some more. "Why won't you kiss me? " Cole had pouted as he watched Jared lean closer to him. Say…please? " …Please?" The boy asked with a frown and waited for the other to kiss him, but he didn't get a kiss! Jared moved even closer and told him to say 'pretty please.' "…K-Kiss me pretty…please? " The boy asked as he felt his pout deepened as he squirmed some more. All he wanted was a kiss and Jared was taking foreeeveeerr! The boy could feel his face flush even more when Jared got even closer to the point where their lips were almost touching. The male looked into Jared's blue eyes when the other told him to tell the other that he loved him. His face flushed a deeper shade of red and started to stutter when he replied. "..I-I…love you."" Cole had spoken softly and soon after he said those three words, he was kissed.

Cole's stomach started to twist and turn in so many ways and he allowed his eyes to shut. The boy had moved both hands into Jared's brown hair before returning the kiss back softly. His stomach always did weird flips when the two kissed. It was not a bad feeling just a…weird one. Who knew kissing someone when having a lip ring was easy too? Heh. When Jared had broken the kiss, he had opened his eyes and whined. "T-That's all?" The boy pouted before nuzzling his head against the others chest.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared let the kiss play for a while before breaking it slowly. Ah, nice. He leaned back and was about to close his eyes when the kid spoke? Ah, he was whining. He grinned and peered at the kid curiously as he leaned forward and nuzzled against his chest. "Why? Did you want more?" he asked as he ran his hands through the males hair gently, his eye brow raised. He grinned and laughed as the other flushed and started to squirm, obviously embarrassed by what Jared was hinting at. "Ah, cute." he said and tugged the squirming boy back to his chest as he had tried to get away. Cute. How amusing. Cole was such a pathetic little virgin. It would take some time for the kid to come to him... if Jared would even wait that long. "Go order some pizza or something for us, eh? Mattie's busy tonight." he said, not offering at what the kid was doing. "And no fucking onions, got it?"

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole felt his cheeks grow redder when the other asked if he wanted more. "N-Not in that kind of way!" The boy whined as he lifted his head from as he squirmed a little when Jared's hands went into his hair. The boy tried to escape from the male's lap, but he was tugged closer before being called cute. "I'm not cute! " The boy protested with a whine as Jared had then told him to go order pizza without any onions. "B-But…I'm comfy-oh fine…" Cole crawled out of the male's lap with a sigh before making his way into the kitchen where the phone and pizza menus were. Cole opened a drawer to grab one of the menus, but stopped when he noticed how red and somewhat puffy his face was. GAH! Stupid cries! Ugh! The boy sighed before grabbing the paper and heading over to the phone.

It didn't take him long to order the pizza, and once he was finished, he had set the phone back onto the charger. Leaving the kitchen, he strolled over to Jared before sitting on the couch. Cole removed his shoes before resting his head on the male's lap softly. " I made sure they didn't put onions on it, and the total is ten dollars and fifty cents plus tip." The boy said with a yawn as he nuzzled against the other. All of this drama …screaming…and crying had made him sleepy in a way. Oh shit…he forgot the stuff from the store in the truck! Oh well, he would get it later.

_(Jared's POV)_

Not cute? Who was this kid trying to kid when he said that? Maybe cute wasn't the right word. Adorable? Awesome? Ah, either way. The man watched in amusement as Cole crawled out of his lap with a grumble and went into the kitchen to order the pizza. Really, Jared wasn't hungry. He had eaten already but he needed some time to think while the kid was away. He sighed and leaned his head back against the couch, his eyes staring up at the ceiling tiredly. What a long damn day. It started out... boring. It was just a NORMAL day. God damned Cole. He'd have to beat the kid for being in town when he wasn't supposed to be. Why the fuck was he even IN town anyways? Cole never bought shit and he hated going into town. What could possibly make him go? Or.. who. Guh. Mattie. It was probably the kids fault.

Jared pulled from his thoughts and straightened as the other came back in speaking about the pizza. "Mkay." he said boredly as the other pushed his shoes off and then laid in his lap. The boy put one hand into the boys hair and peered down at him. "You know..." he said and paused, his thumb rubbing the side of the boys face gently. "You look quite adorable after crying." He smirked slightly and poked the male on the head before leaning back comfortably and going back to play with the kids hair. "And don't be falling asleep either. I know for a fact you've got homework and studying to do after we eat."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole yawned tiredly and nuzzled against the hand that had been placed into his hair. He just wanted to sleep…right now. He had a few homework sheets to work on, but he really didn't even want to do them. Hell, he wasn't even that hungry. Okay…that was a lie…, he was kind of hungry. Cole let his eyes peer up at the older male when he had started to speak before rubbing his thumb against his cheek. The boy had let out a small noise at the touch before blushing when the other had called him adorable. " Are you kidding me? I look like a puffy mess! How can you see that as adorable?" The boy whined before letting out a sound when poked. It was true…! He looked so weird and Jared thought that was adorable? Crazy man!

Cole snapped out of his thoughts when the other told him not to fall asleep because he had homework to do and studying after they ate. Nuu! He didn't want to dooo it! "I'm so…comfy though. " The boy pouted as Jared put his hand back into his hair. Cuddling against the male, he sighed a little. "Well after we eat remind me to go to my truck. Mattie told me to get some supplies for our project…and I left them in the truck." The boy said with a soft nod.

**(End of drama filled chapter~! ;D)**


	16. Caught

_SIXTEENTH CHAPTER! :'D_

_**Uh Oh~ Oxo**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki growled to himself and dropped down onto the ground from the familiar tree with a sigh. Today was supposed to be a good day... but no. It turned out to be a fucking shit assed day. The day had began perfect. He was let out of work early for doing so much over time and the fact that all the patients thought he WAS their doctor, which was a big deal in a hospital as huge as the one he worked at. When a sixty year old man who couldn't even remember his own name asked for you... you were spending to much time at work. Though half of his time was spent in the children's area... heh. After he let loose from work, he went and saw Layla and they decided to go out together for the rest of the day. Ah, what a perfect start! They had eaten lunch at a nice restaurant and done a little shopping for her and Allie when... hell broke out. Of all of the damn people to see them together.. it was JARED? That fucker! The idiot had instantly stormed over after seeing them and began to scream at Layla and Chiaki. Chiaki had tried to defend her when he was threatened. Layla, being as brilliant as she was, understood what was happening almost right away and came up with a lie to cover his ass. Hers too... but mostly his. She knew Jared and knew this would be a perfect reason to kill Chiaki. The look in her eyes had told him that she had been scared though. Chiaki himself was fucking scared. He had never felt so fucked up in his LIFE. No beating he had ever gotten could come even close to how he was feeling now. His face was pale, his stomach was turning, and he bit his tongue so hard to stop himself from yelling at Jared as he insulted Layla it bled for almost an hour after wards. Of course he was taken from Layla, back to base, and screamed at. The male barely managed to stop himself from screaming back and spilling everything, but instead stuck to the story and just said that she had been lost and he was helping her around the city. How was he supposed to know who she was? Jared didn't even mention in his yelling WHO she was just that he had to stay the fuck away from her and she was from the other gang. Chiaki knew that, of course, but said nothing and only stared at him and stuck to the story. For whatever fucking reason, the ass actually believed him and went off to beat the fuck out of someone else. Or to fuck Cole. Whatever it was, Jared left him alone. He could care less that the little fucker went to do just that he was gone was good enough.

After Jared had stormed off, Chiaki went to the very back of the warehouse to his room. He was one of the very few people to actually have a room for just him inside the base. Since he was always at work or on 'missions', Jared had made a room for him at the base so that he could be there when he needed to be. So if he wasn't at work or with Layla, he was at the base in his room passed out. When was the last time he had even been to his apartment? Jared wanted him close by all the time when he wasn't working so... he had a room. The male spent hours in his room after he had left the main room in the base. Nursing his poor torn up tongue and just... thinking. He knew what he had to do. He didn't want Layla to get hurt. He couldn't let Layla get hurt. He knew what he had to do... even if he really... really didn't want to. He had to end it with her. For her sake.

The boy waited until sunset before leaving the base. He didn't bother telling Jared or whoever he hit where he was going when he went out. Haha, the kid he ran into even asked and instead got a punch to the gut. He made his way into his car and drove off to Layla's. He sped, ran a few red lights and stop signs, but wasn't pulled over. Heh... Chiaki never sped. He always obeyed the road laws no matter how stupid they were. He HATED cars and didn't have insurance... so why risk getting pulled over? Liam always made fun of him for being such a safe fucking drive. It didn't help that bastard drove like a bat out of hell. Bastard.

He parked in his normal spot carelessly and ran over to Layla's house as any other night. But... this wasn't any other night. He ran faster, moved faster, and paid less attention. By the time he had climbed the tree he didn't know if Layla's father was there or not and he really didn't care. Chiaki climbed the tree, knocked on her sliding glass door, and made his way into the room when he was let in. Layla had seemed happy and just ranted about smelly old Jared interrupting their date, but finally realized that something was wrong when Chiaki said nothing and merely sat on the bed silently, waiting for her ranting to be over with. There was a bit of silence until he spoke. She was worried, that he could tell. He had told Layla almost right away. He got to the point instead of beating around the bush. "Layla, I don't want you to get hurt... and if you're with me and Jared does find out that it is true, he'll kill me and then he'll kill you. I... I won't let you get hurt because of me. I don't think we should see each other anymore." That, of course, led to one big argument. Layla arguing the smelly old man wouldn't hurt her and Chiaki arguing that he obviously would if he got the change, and he WOULD. That was no damn argument. They were both immortals, sure, but Jared was a lot fucking older. Jared didn't knew Chiaki knew about him, but he did. Layla trusted him enough and had told him when she explained about what she was.

The argument lasted and went on... and on.. and on. The two ended up repeating themselves over.. and over... and over. Layla with her 'i won't get hurt' argument and Chiaki with the 'i love you and won't put you in the middle of this' argument. In the end.. Layla won. She always fucking won. There had been a few hours of... ahem time. Mostly just her reassuring him that she would be fine and this could continue for a long time. Jared would probably be watching him more carefully now which meant... a lot less time for visiting. They both understood that any day now, if Jared felt suspicious, Chiaki could be killed. So every time they met now... they would just have to act like it would be there last goodbye. How depressing.

Chiaki sighed and walked back toward his car, still annoyed. How could Layla be so... so... damn stubborn? Jared WOULD kill her. He wouldn't hesitate. He did not want there to be a risk of that. He loved her... fucking woman! Ugh! The boy growled and kicked a tree and stopped a few yards from the house. What a long day. He took a deep breath and leaned against the oak and closed his eyes. What was he supposed to do? Layla made her point clear. She wasn't going to end it because of Jared and because their lives were in danger. Chiaki could care less about his own life, but it was Layla's life that mattered. Part of her rant and argument was it took so much more to kill her than it took to kill him and she healed so much faster and blah blah blah. He had shut her up half way through. He didn't want to hear it or think about it. Even if it took more to kill her... he didn't want to think about it! No! Layla wasn't going to put her life in danger for him! Ugh! Why did fucking Jared have to ruin everything? He groaned out loud and stiffened feeling a hand on his shoulder. FUCK. He was followed? The male spun around and whipped his gun from his pocket and pointed it at the person's head. Almost right away he lowered it and glared.

"Liam? What the fuck are you doing here?"

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam yawned boredly as he hid behind an oak tree with his back against it. The black haired male was outside some huge mansion while keeping an eye on Chiaki. Earlier tonight Jared had called him to go spy on Chiaki because apparently Jared had seen him with the daughter from the other gang. Liam wanted to face palm so badly when he heard this, but of course agreed to do what Jared asked since he didn't have any other choice. He hated leaving Mattie by himself at home, but the boy was already heading to bed, and he didn't seem to mind too much. Liam moved a hand into his black hair as he hit his head back against the tree. He had been STANDING there for hours and Chiaki hasn't come out yet. What the hell were those two doing anyways? At that point Liam felt an anime sweat drop form on his forehead. Sheesh.

Better yet…what was Chiaki doing with the daughter of the gang's rival? That boy could get killed over something like this, and to still see the girl after Jared warned him not to go is even worse. Either Chiaki was head over heels in love with the girl, or she had him wrapped around her little finger. Maybe both? Who knew? All he knew at this point was that he was getting tired of waiting outside the god damn mansion. Not to mention there was an owl around here and its hooting was pissing him the fuck off. If he would have known he would be out here this long, he would have brought himself a magazine to entertain himself with.

Liam had pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the closing of the sliding doors. Were they FINALLY done? Liam remained where he was until Chiaki climbed down the tree and started to head to where his car was. Liam got out from behind the tree and walked behind the male before clasping his shoulder with his hand. Right away Chiaki got on the defensive and pulled his gun out on him. "What the hell am I doing here? What the hell are YOU doing here? What are you doing seeing that girl Chiaki? You could get yourself killed over this shit and Jared already warned you! The reason I am here is because he told me to follow you. God, she is probably just using you anyways." However when he said that Chiaki had sent a big blow to his stomach with his fist. Liam let out a loud growl as he fallen onto the ground. Damn that fucking hurt!

Liam grunted heavily as he moved a hand to his stomach where it had been punched. His eyes gazed up at the male before making a face. "How long has this been going on anyways?" The male asked the other, and when Chiaki hesitated to tell him, he had groaned. "Just spit it the fuck out Chiaki." Soon after that the male told him that he had been seeing the girl for a little over a year. Ugh, he was hoping it was a lot shorter than that so he could easily break it off with the girl. If he has been seeing her that long then it had to be serious. "Do you love her that much to risk getting your ass killed by Jared?" Liam asked as he rose to his feet slowly.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki shoved the gun back away seeing it was only the moron and instantly wished that he HAD shot the bitch. He rolled his eyes and was about to ignore the boy and walk off, but started to rant. Ah, so Jared had sent someone to follow him. He knew it. The boy had just shoved past Liam... when he spoke again. Almost right away he spun around and sent his fist into the males stomach. obviously knocking him off balance. Liam hadn't expected that. "She's not using me!" he snarled as the boy fell onto his knees in pain. "It's none of yours or Jared's fucking business what i'm doing here!" he snapped and glared coldly at the man as he groaned and spoke again. At the question he only huffed and turned his head away. He knew that the question had a purpose. Liam was a jerk, but... wasn't at the same time. He said nothing for a bit and let out a growl as the other spoke again, more demanding. Why the fuck did he care anyways? Was he going to run off and tell Jared about it? "Just above a year." he muttered, turning his head back to the other boy.

Who would have figured it would come to THIS. At one point in his life in the gang, he had been closer to Liam than anyone. Eventually, he became to distracted by doing direct work for Jared, studying for school, and spending time with Layla to spend much time with the boy so... they hadn't really even talked alone in.. well... a long time. The stupid bastard was always to busy these days anyways... not that he was any better. At the final question, Chiaki felt his lips pull back into a snarl. How DARE he question that! "I would die for her before letting Jared get near her again." he snapped, feeling himself get angry again, his hands balling into fists. "Before you bother asking, I only went tonight to break it off, but she's to stubborn and wouldn't allow it." He sighed and leaned against the tree, his head hitting it and his eyes moving toward the night sky. "I told her that it would be better if we stopped... but she said it was worth the risk." He stopped and sighed. "Most of the time I was up there we were arguing... we've never argued before..." He drifted off and fell silent, unmoving and staring at the sky.

Argue? Chiaki thought it was impossible for them to argue... but... they had spent so much time talking about this... yelling about it. How had her father not heard them and come upstairs? Layla was so damn persistent... which had been the only reason he had given in. He had never seen her fight so hard for anything before. Nothing. Not even when she fought to let him allow her to cut and dye her hair. THAT he had fought for. It wasn't a real fight, of course, but he had won! She had argued a lot for that one, but hadn't won. After a bit of silence, he sighed. "I'd do anything for her, Liam." he said without looking away from the sky. "She means everything to me."

Chiaki sighed and ignored Liam as he started to freak out. Even though he was close to Liam and everything, the boy had never seen him so... calm when he was serious about something. He sighed to himself and ignored the other until he snapped at him. Commenting that Jared would kill her without a second thought if they were seen together and other shit. "Don't you think I fucking know that?" he snapped, pushing himself away from the tree, his teal eyes moving to meet his companion's red eyes. "Liam, you don't fucking understand any of this. Jared supports you and Mattie for more reasons than you understand." he snarled. "He doesn't like or support Layla because of who her fucking father is. What would you do if that was Mattie? You wouldn't give a flying fuck what was going on, would you?" He paused and glared, knowing he hit something when Liam fell silent and averted his gaze. Oh yeah. He had hit a sore spot all right. The male fell silent and sighed.

"Liam, i'd give up everything for Layla. I'd even give up my chance to become a doctor to keep her safe..."

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had given the other a look when Chiaki told him that he tried to break off the relationship with the girl. The male was going to speak, but Chiaki continued talking about how the girl would not let them end it because of Jared. Liam felt his red eyes widen a bit when the other said he would die for the girl before Jared could get near her. Was he SERIOUS? The Chiaki he knew would not give up his life to save anyone and he was willing to risk his own life for this girl? He just could not believe his ears. What was even more mind-blowing was the fact that Chiaki was acting so calm about it too and Chiaki was never 'calm.' Liam moved a hand into his black hair before he started to speak. "What the hell is wrong with you? This is NOT the Chiaki I know. Did you hit your head on something!" Liam spazzed as he stared over at the male. "Dude Jared will KILL the girl if he saw you two together! I wouldn't put it past him! Hell, he would probably kill both of you!"

Seconds later, he noticed Chiaki's eyes shooting over his way angrily and he soon started to snap at him. Liam remained silent as Chiaki went on about how Jared supported his and Mattie's relationship. Chiaki had a point about Jared supporting his relationship. He did not know why Jared supported his relationship so much, but he did. Liam had pulled away from his thoughts when Chiaki asked him what if this was Mattie instead. The man stared silent and averted his eyes to the side. He was right…he would not give a fuck what it took to make sure Mattie was safe.

His eyes only glanced back at Chiaki when he said he would even give up his career of being a doctor for Layla. The man sighed and stepped forwards to the other. "Maybe there is some way around this? Maybe you and Layla can make some sort of deal with Jared, so the two of you could still see each other without it being that big of a risk. Even if Jared hates the girl, I am sure there is something the two of you could do. Don't you think?" Liam questioned the male.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

When Liam started to speak again, Chiaki instantly felt his anger levels rising at a ridiculously dangerous rate. When his anger rose because of one thing and fast, the male often found himself loosing control of his actions. The more that Liam spoke, the more pissed off he got and the faster it happened. "NO!" he screamed, cutting the boy off from speaking more. He raised his hand, it curled into a fist as he took a threatening step toward Liam, his teal eyes angry. "Don't you DARE fucking suggest something like that!" he yelled, before forcing himself to stop walking toward the male. If he didn't stop... he'd hit him. He struggled to lower his voice and lowered his hand slowly. He was not going to allow Layla to get mixed into this... no. What kind of fucking boyfriend would be letting his girlfriend get mixed into this fucking shit? She deserved... so much more. Fuck, she deserved more than he could ever give her. After a moment of... some what awkward silence, Liam being shocked from the out burst and the threatening approach, and Chiaki merely trying to stop himself from attacking and killing the fucking bastard out of sheer anger, he spoke again. His voice slightly shaking and still very... very pissed off. But his usual calm pissed off which, like Jared, was worse than him yelling. So much worse and so much scarier. Hopefully Liam knew that and would watch what he fucking said.

"I... I am not going to put her in the middle of this." he said slowly, his voice uneven as he tried to get his anger under control "Jared. Hates. Her. What part of that don't you understand? You've been around long enough to know what happens to people that Jared doesn't like. Sure, if they're working together, it's fine for a while. The second, and I mean the SECOND, that they become useless he kills them. He doesn't wait, you know that, damn it! Liam... do NOT ask me to put her in that position. I don't trust Jared. I never have. I never will." He ran his hands through his hair stressfully and groaned. "I'm not going to put her through this, Liam. I just... I can't. Mattie is different. He's quiet and he stays out of the way... Layla..." He stopped and smiled lightly, his anger disappearing as he thought of her. "She's not like him.."

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla had rolled over to her in her sleep when she felt a soft paw touching her bare back. The pink haired woman groaned softly before allowing her eyes to slowly open only to turn her head to glance behind herself. There stood Allie wide-awake and meowing softly. "..What is it Allie? " The woman asked with a tired yawn and watched as the cat crawled over her, and jumped off the bed. Sitting up slowly, she blinked when the kitten started to paw at the sliding door. Eh? Layla arose from her bed and pulled the blankets off her before grabbing her silky pink robe off her nightstand. Pulling it on, she tied it tightly, so it would not come undone. Layla walked over to the sliding door when she heard some voices. Who was that? Layla unlocked the sliding door quietly and slid the door open a crack. Sitting on the cold floor, she listened to what was going on outside before pulling Allie in her lap.

"_Do you love her that much to risk getting your ass killed by Jared?"_ Layla felt her eyes widen a little at the comment and had listened closely. It was Liam…and Chiaki? Had Liam followed Chiaki under Jared's orders? From that point on she had listened to every word that came out both of their mouths. Today was surely not a good that was for sure. Being caught by Jared even though she tried to play it off. God only knows if that actually worked or not, and earlier that night Chiaki came over to break it off with her for her sake. Layla was damned to end this relationship over smelly ole Jared. She did not give a fuck. This had caused them to argue for…what it seemed like forever, and she had won. Now…Liam and Chiaki were arguing outside her house.

Good thing her father was asleep by now otherwise those two boys would be screwed by how loud they were yelling. Layla had stood up from the cold floor before setting Allie down. Layla slid the door open all the way before stepping out onto the balcony. She rested her arms on the railing as she narrowed her eyes lightly. "You two woke up the baby, and actually…I think I kind of like Liam's idea. " The woman said with a long sigh before moving a hand into her slightly messy pink hair. Even though she hated Jared…if working for him in some kind of way can make her relationship with Chiaki easier, then she was gamed. " I mean I could always agree to giving him information of the gang my father has on him." Chiaki looked horrified about her agreeing to the suggestion Liam had made while Liam stood there loss for words before shouting. _" YOU TWO HAVE A BABY?" _The girl wanted to laugh, but rolled her eyes instead. "No, my cat. " Layla said with a shake of her head as she watched Chiaki glare at Liam before climbing the tree. God it was extremely cold outside. She should have put on some pajama pants and a top…, but nooo.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki pulled from his thoughts and looked back to Liam, his eyes cold. "I guess you're going to be a little bitch and run back to Jared and tell him about this, huh? Well go right a fucking h-" He froze hearing a voice and spun on his heal and looked up. The balcony. Shit! They woke up Layla? He opened his mouth to apologize when... she spoke first. He stared up at his princess with an obviously horrified face. She was AGREEING? She had no fucking sense! No care for her own damn life! She was so stupid! How could she agree to something like this? Liam was lovestruck and fucking stupid to ever think that something like this would work. He was spending to much time with Mattie. Mattie was a dreamer who believed in rainbows and that everything had a happy ending. This would not have a happy ending. It just... it wouldn't. He opened his mouth to shout something at the girl when Liam spoke. "It's a fucking cat, you moron!" he snapped as Layla spoke at the same time. He punched Liam on the arm before running over to the tree at lightning speed. He yanked himself up without bothering to be careful and was on the balcony within seconds.

"I'm not going to let you do this, Layla." he said and took both of her soft hands into his now cold and rough ones. He kissed them gently before looking down at her frowning. "I already agreed to let this keep going... but only under the circumstances that it was my life that was the one being put in danger. I'm not going to let you do something like this. It's bad enough we sneak around your father, that's enough danger for you. I don't want you even doing that." Chiaki stopped long enough to realize... she was in her robe. God damn it! He wrapped an arm around her and walked inside the room with her, away from Liam's eyes and ears - though he would likely stay near by or climb up the tree as well - but more importantly in where it was warm. He shut the sliding door behind him and bent down and picked up Allie. He petted her head softly and kissed it before setting her on the bed. "I won't let you do this, Layla. I don't like it or support it." he said firmly.

_(Layla's POV)_

The pink haired woman blinked when Chiaki made his way onto the balcony and headed over to her quickly. When both of her hands were grabbed, she had blinked at the roughness and coldness of his hands. Layla frowned when both of her hands were kissed. This was going to cause another argument; she could just feel it coming. "Chi-Chi… it may put me in danger, but as I said before it takes a lot longer to kill me then a normal person." Layla whispered the last part since Liam was standing beneath the balcony looking up at them. "I mean if I can-" Layla was interrupted when Chiaki moved an arm around her and led her inside. Eh? What was that-Oh, the robe. Heh. Layla said nothing of it, and watched as the other shut the door and picked up Allie.

Once the kitten was set on the bed, she had frowned towards Chiaki. "Look, all I am saying is that his idea isn't that bad of one. I mean if I could do something for Jared that would give his ok about us seeing each other then it would make things a bit easier. Yes, we still have my father to worry about, but you get the point. " Chiaki was so protective over her, and it was cute, but in times like these …it got quite tiresome. She knew Jared could go back on his word if they did agree on something, but she would rather be hurt then Chiaki. Layla could withstand pain and live a lot longer compared to Chiaki who was just a human. Layla stepped forwards and stroked the male's cheek with the back of her hand. "Look Chiaki, I love you and I understand you just want to protect me, but I have my mind set on this idea. As I said before I could offer Jared information my father has on his gang. My father makes copies on everything, so he wouldn't notice a tape was missing. He never noticed the tape I gave you was missing either." The woman said, but the look on Chiaki's face showed that he didn't approve of this and was against it. He was not happy…not one bit, but she wanted to do it.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

"I don't care if it takes longer to kill you than it takes to kill me!" he growled, openly frustrated now. At the beginning of their last argument he had tried to hide his anger at first, but he didn't bother trying now. The conversation with Liam had killed all of his patience. They had had this conversation already as well. Humans were fragile and blah blah and immortals could withstand so much more pain and bleeding and all of that other shit that Layla had used in the last argument against him and... well... he still didn't care about that. It was true, sure, but he really didn't give a fuck. He would rather die two or three times than see her get hurt just once. The male rubbed his cold hands together and groaned as she spoke, his hands moving to his face to rub his eyes in an almost painful manner. He had a head ache now. The idea of his princess working for Jared.. ugh, no! He just... he couldn't let her. No matter how much she 'wanted to'. She was to precious to him... she meant to much to him. He didn't want to see her get mixed up in this! No! Chiaki knew if he commented about that out loud she would get angry and try to defend herself in saying she wasn't a doll and wasn't something to be pampered... but to him she was. She deserved it. She was perfect and her hands didn't need to be stained like his were.

He shook his head once more as the other started to speak and tried to argue once more about how she would be fine if she joined. "No, Layla. I don't care if you want to do this, I won't let you just so you can see me of all people! I'm just a human..." He stopped and sighed, knowing how touchy of a subject that was. Layla hated it when he referred to his mortality. There was no way, after all, for him to become an immortal with her. He would live and he would die as a human. Even if they did everything they could... nothing would ever... ever change that. It was just impossible. He sighed and shook his head as the girl spoke. He knew what she said was true... but it didn't matter. "I won't let you work for that bastard, Layla. You... you just don't know him the way I do! Please! Please rethink this! Liam is just an fucking idiot who isn't thinking about who you are and who Jared is. He doesn't give a shit about what happens to you, he just suggested that for me, and I don't want you to do this!" Jared... ugh, he hated that bastard. Never, ever before had he ever hated someone so much in his entire life. Fuck, he was hating fucking Liam for even thinking of the idea and saying it out loud with that fucking fat mouth of his. How had Layla heard? How loud HAD he and Liam been yelling? God damn it!

Chiaki let out a stressful groan and dropped down onto her bed, his hands running through his hair. This was not going to work. If Layla went and worked for Jared and went around the gang when he wasn't there... fuck! It could end so bad for her! Sure, she was an immortal and stronger than most humans... but if it was five guys against just her? It was no secret that some of the guys in the gang did less than decent things. To girls and guys most of the time. The gender didn't matter, just the face. And Layla... well her face was damn nice. It was beautiful. Those fuckers would keep one fucking close eye on her and just WAIT for the second she was alone and jump. The thought made him wince openly. He couldn't be around the gang all the time to make sure that she was safe and she would most likely need to be around more than he was to give Jared the correct information when it was still new. Work at the hospital was becoming MORE time consuming, which was hard for anyone to believe. But... he had so much less time to protect her if she did this! At work he wouldn't be focusing on his patients and instead would be thinking about what she was doing, where she was, if she was even okay. He already did that but at least before he knew for a fact that she WOULD be safe. Now there would be that voice in the back of his head screaming that she was in danger of being hurt.

The male bent forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his head moving down into his open palms. This is a stupid idea, Layla.." he said bluntly, his voice low and obviously still not happy. "I'm not going to let you do this with my liking. I don't want you to do this at all, in fact... but i'm not your father and i'm not going to try to stop you." He stood up with a bitter look on his face and sighed, unhappy and at a loss. He didn't want to talk to Jared about this. He didn't want to let Layla do this. He was going fucking shoot Liam for giving the girl the god damned idea. You can do whatever it is you want to... but i'm going to be blunt and tell you i'm not happy and even if it'll make it easier for us... I won't be happy about it. You'll never be safe around Jared and my gang. No one other than a few will trust you..." He trailed of and decided not to mention the fact she could NEVER be alone. She HAD to be with someone who had a gun at all times. Being with Mattie wasn't alone... but fuck, now that he thought about it, it WOULD be safe. Everyone knew how protective Jared was about his chef. If anyone who didn't know the kid got to close he screamed at 'em and hit 'em. He knew he could trust Mattie... ugh. This still wasn't going to work. Even if he made it work, even THEN he wouldn't be happy. The danger was to... to... it was just to much.

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla had given Chiaki a look when the male had shouted out in frustration. The woman remained silent as the male started to rant, but she had given the other a stern look when he had spoken about 'I'm just a human!' " Chiaki, don't speak like that. I don't like it when you refer to yourself like that in that tone. Also what do you mean by you won't let me do this just to see you of all people? I rather see YOU then any other person Chiaki. I have no friends or any other close relatives besides my father. You are the only person I look forwards to seeing." Layla told the male as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. It was the truth she didn't have any close friends…, cousins or anyone really. Chiaki was the only person who she loved to spend her time with. If she could have it her way she would see the male every day. However that was not going to happen anytime soon that was for sure.

Layla snapped out of his thoughts when the other begged her to rethink about the idea Liam suggested. As much as she didn't like to see the male stress and worry about her, she already had her mind made up. Maybe next time they should be a little bit quieter when outside her room. She however said nothing of that part and allowed her eyes to follow Chiaki as he sat on the bed and rested his head in the palms of his hands. Layla walked over to the bed and sat down next to the male as he went on saying that this was a stupid idea. The woman let her eyes stare at the male as he said that even though he wasn't happy about this idea, he wasn't going to stop her.

The woman sighed heavily as she moved a hand into her hair. "Well, I'm not changing my mind about this. Also, I don't care if a lot of the people there won't trust me. I'm not going to go to the base to make friends." Layla pointed out as she frowned at the bitter look on Chiaki's face. She hated seeing him so unhappy, but she still wanted to go through with this idea no matter how mad Chiaki would be at her. " Well, now that this is over I want you to tell Jared that I'll be coming over to the base around eight tomorrow. Have Mattie and Liam there too, I always wanted to try Mattie's cooking anyway. Better yet, tell Liam to tell Jared so you don't have to go back to the base tonight. Liam probably has to go back anyways." The woman pointed out as she stood from the bed and went over to kiss Chiaki on the cheek despite how unhappy he was with her now. "It is late…, and I want to go to sleep, so try not to argue so loud with Liam ok? Or at least do it away from the house." With that said, she gave him a small hug before heading over to the sliding door and opening it for Chiaki to step out.

Layla could see that Liam was waiting by the tree looking annoyed, but she ignored him and watched as the male headed onto the balcony. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that said, she had closed the door shut, locked it and pulled the curtains over the sliding door. Today was such a LONG and drama filled day. Hopefully she would be able to go to sleep now. Sighing, she headed back to her bed and didn't even bother removing the robe before crawling under the blankets next to a currently sleeping Allie.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki said nothing and merely stared at the girl as she spoke. So.. she wasn't going to change her mind? Even after how openly AGAINST it that he was being? Usually, no matter what the argument, if Chiaki was THIS against it she would listen. She had common sense so what the fuck was she thinking now? This was not smart. She knew it. Was she really willing to risk her life for a stupid human kid? That was all he was compared to her. She was prefect and he was tainted in the idea he was just a human, Corrupt and dirty. That was just how humans were. Why was she so for risking her life for him? Ugh! He didn't want this. The male merely stared as she moved and kissed his cheek before hugging him, the whole time speaking. The male didn't move nor did he notice the affection. He never liked leaving on bad terms or in a bad mood... but there was nothing that would happen tonight that would change it other than Layla coming to her sense... which she was obviously not going to do. He only grunted as a reply to her as she commented to tell Liam to tell Jared. Good. Other wise he'd fucking kill them both. Ugh. Bastards. Without another glance at the girl or her window, the male jumped into the tree and fell down onto the ground silently.

"I should fucking kill you!" he spat the second he saw Liam's ugly face, looking irritated and confused from being left on the ground while Chiaki had run up to Layla. "Thanks to your fucking fat mouth she wants do to what you suggested!" he hissed, using literally everything he had to not pull out his gun and shoot the male, if not in the head then somewhere where it would hurt. Where it would hurt fucking bad and leave a god damned noticeable scar his stupid boyfriend would have to see every damn fucking day. "You can be the one to tell Jared that the daughter of his worst enemy wants to help us. You can also be the one to try to convince him that she's not a fucking liar." Chiaki shoved past Liam, purposely shoving him roughly and hoping he would fall, before storming past him and toward his car. Oh how he wanted to strangle that fucking bastard. Ugh! Why did Layla want to do this so much? Girls... ugh!

**(END~ ;D So much drama. Hur hur hur)**


	17. It's Pink!

_SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER! :'D_

_**Also sorry for the long wait for the chapter. I just decided to take a break for a bit. I'll probably start posting a chapter weekly. ;D SO KEEP READING PEOPLE.**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

(Layla's POV)

Layla had the handle of her purse in her mouth as she went to climb over the balcony to the tree. Why was she sneaking out instead of lying to her father about _'shopping?'_ and heading out the front door? Well apparently her father had found a note about someone threatening to kill her. At first she was a little worried, but when she noticed the handwriting, she got sooo angry, but didn't let it show. Chiaki had written that damned note to stop her from going with that idea! She didn't even know if Jared knew she was coming, or not. Just fucking great. However that didn't stop her from going there. The woman climbed down the tree and made her way out of the yard and towards the sidewalk. The woman was wearing a pink dress with matching flats while she wore a black and pink striped scarf around her neck. The woman spat the handle of the purse out of her mouth and held it in her hands.

God she hated carrying around her purse due to the fact of the weight of her gun which was inside it. Normal girls brought that pepper spray with them however she wasn't normal, and brought a gun. She had money inside it as well as another one of those tapes her father had on Jared. God, she was so annoyed right now. Chiaki was going to get a mouth full later. It had taken at least fifteen minutes for her to find a cab, and when she did, she had stepped inside of it. Ugh it smelled like cigarettes and burgers. That was NOT a good combination at all. Closing the door, she buckled her seatbelt and told the man where she wanted to go. The older male had given her a questioning look about where she wanted to go, but she glared at him

Of course anyone would think she is crazy about wanting to go to a warehouse, but hell she didn't care. She was NOT going to walk all the way there in flats when she could just take a cab. It didn't take long for her to arrive at the warehouse, so she unbuckled her seatbelt. Layla unzipped her purse and pulled out some money for the man before getting out of the cab. There were a lot of cars here, so everyone…or close to everyone was here. Yeah, Chiaki or Liam didn't tell Jared. Now this was going to cause a BIG scene. Layla waited for the cab to leave before walking up to the big main doors. Layla didn't even bother knocking and simply pushed open the door. Once inside the people had ignored her at first, but when they gave her a second glance all of them stared her way.

The woman sighed and glanced over at the main table where Jared was along with Liam and Chiaki. Liam looked lost, and Chiaki looked…unhappy. "Liam and Chiaki didn't tell you I was coming did they?" The woman asked the male even though she already knew the answer. Layla headed over to the main table and took a seat next to Chiaki before setting her purse in her lap. "There is a deal I want to make with you."

_(Jared's POV)_

"Dude, just shut the fuck up." Jared sighed and rubbed his head gently. What a day. He had gathered everyone today for a little meeting. Well, it was hardly a LITTLE meeting. Mattie was in the kitchen cooking like a mad man since... well.. everyone was there. They were discussing 'battle plans' as some of them had named it. They liked to think of the gang fights as 'wars'. Little fucking idiots. Whatever shut them up and kept them on the topic. All he was getting lately was stupid shit. Like 'bomb the bosses house'. What kind of fucking idea was THAT? Then there had been a _'kidnap someone close to him'_ idea. Chiaki hadn't noticed that Jared caught him sending death glares to the kid who had suggested that. According to his little spy, Liam, Chiaki had just gone home after leaving the gang. He'd had various people follow him and all gave the same reply. Nothing fishy. Good. The fucker took his advice and hadn't seen the girl again. Maybe it HAD been a chance meeting. Something in his head told him otherwise, but whatever. As long as he wasn't seeing that fucking bitch he didn't care.

Jared sighed and rubbed his head gently. This was getting no where. "Alright, everyone just shut the fuck up for a second, eh?" he said and rubbed his head again, ignoring Cole's hand on his arm. A comforting gesture, he was guessing. It was only when there WAS silence did he look up. Silence? In HIS gang? It didn't happen. There. In fucking front of him.. was HER. That fucking bitch Layla! He felt his eyes narrow and listened as she spoke. Almost RIGHT away there were shouts and voices. Everyone picked this moment to scream their opinion as loud as they possibly could so they could be heard over the guy next to them yelling as loud as THEY could. Most guys didn't know her, who she was or the position she held, but screamed out against it anyways. A girl? Working in THEIR gang? The idea was appalling to them. They didn't want a fucking girl working side by side. Jared growled and touched his head. "THAT'S ENOUGH! EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Jared, in one swift moment, stood up - his chair flying backwards and nearly breaking against the wall - and slammed his fists down onto the table. Almost instantly it was silent, looks of fear on the faces of most as they turned to him. "Everyone get the FUCK out! Liam and Chiaki. Stay." He was silent for a moment before growling when no one moved. "NOW."

Instantly there was shuffling of chairs and moving as everyone ran out as fast as they could to avoid Jared's anger. He turned his head and looked at Cole as he spoke quietly, asking if he had to leave too. "I think it'd be best if you left. Go help Mattie and make sure no one bugs him." he said and turned his head forward to stare at Layla as everyone cleared out, Cole being kind enough to pick up his chair and move it near him. Jared grabbed it and pulled it to the table before dropping into it.

"Quite an uproar you've caused, bitch." he said, his voice now strangely calm and very cold. "To answer your question... no. Liam and Chiaki did not tell me you were coming." He turned his blue eyes and stared at the two. Both seemed to pale and shrink down as if they wanted to disappeared into the floor. Oh. They were in for it later when the bitch was gone. "And what makes you think that I of all people would want YOUR help?" He moved his eyes away from the boys and over to Layla. His eye twitched seeing her sitting. "Before you speak, stand up. It's proper etiquette to stand when you're speaking to a group." Again, his voice was cold and calm... frighteningly calm. "If you wish to stay here under neutral circumstances while you are here speaking, when you will abide by my rules and stand when you're speaking or being spoken to." Now his neutral and angry face grew a small smirk. He knew that if Layla was serious about this and wanted to live... she'd do exactly what she was told and she would hold her fucking tongue. Oh, this would be a brilliant time to shoot her in her fucking head. It wouldn't kill her, she'd heal eventually, but oh would it be SATISFYING.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki yawned and stared up at the ceiling boredly. He could be SLEEPING and instead.. he was here... stuck in this fucking boring assed meeting. This was stupid as fuck. Jared wanted to have a gathering to discuss their next move. Which was stupid because the fucks in the gang had been watching way to damn many WAR fucking movies. It was all about bombing shit and grenades. Jared was not pleased and had already hit nearly everyone. He sighed and brushed his hair from his face tiredly as Jared told everyone to shut up... then... the main door opened? They were expecting NO one... who? He moved his feet from the table and straightened.

FUCK! How had Layla got out of her fathers grip? To keep Layla in the house and out of the gang for at least a month he had wrote a fake letter claiming that Layla's life was in danger. It had worked... apparently only for a fucking week. Did that bastard WANT his daughter dead? The male leaned back in his chair and only scowled as everyone else started to yell unhappily when she spoke. FUCK. She was insane mentioning his name! Now it was almost as if she WANTED him and Liam to get their asses beat! Yep... yep that was going to happen. he was going to either get shot and left for dead or his ass was going to be kicked. He groaned to himself and didn't bother flinching as Jared screamed, his chair flying back and his fists slamming into the table. Yep. He was pissed. Greeeeat. The male groaned out loud this time as he and Liam were ordered to stay and everyone else ordered out. He sent Liam a glared, more like an understanding pity look that they were screwed, and stayed unmoving. He ignored the oh so touching scene as Cole got Jared his chair and left pouting. The male winced and forced himself not to move as Layla sat next to him. It wasn't because he was unhappy to see her - though he REALLY was unhappy to see her - he just knew this looked back... he was already fucked so what did it really matter? Nothing... God, she smelled awesome.

As Jared spoke... it again took all of his power not to beat the male. First the insult, he called her a bitch, then... oh shit. The calmness. Now.. now he could say he was legitimately afraid. While Chiaki was in the room and the comments directed to and about him... it had happened twice. Both times he was beat nearly to death. This was not going to end well for him. ... Them. If he was going down that ass Liam was going down right with him. Liam hadn't done what HE was supposed to do and tell Jared about the meeting. HE hadn't told JARED that Chiaki had gone to Layla's that night. Then, of course, Jared had to bring up the fact that Layla was sitting. Ugh. "Watch the attitude." he muttered to her before she could speak to yell at Jared about the standing comment. "He's looking for a reason to shoot you. Remember that."

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla felt an anime sweat drop form on her forehead as everyone started to shout and freak out. Sheesh! They sounded like a bunch of wild animals. Layla had moved her pinky to her ear and wiggled it a little after Jared had demanded that all of them left minus Chiaki and Liam. God, she was going to go deaf. Moving her finger out of her ear, she had gazed over to Jared when he had told Cole to go help Mattie in the kitchen. Sweet, so he WAS making food? Maybe she will get to try out whatever he cooks? That all depends on Jared though. The woman pulled herself out of her thoughts when Jared had spoken to her. "All I did was step inside and say a couple of words. It isn't my fault that they had gone wild. "

The woman shrugged, but had narrowed her eyes when Jared started to act like an ass and demand for her to stand. Layla was about to protest, but she had heard Chiaki's comment. Biting her tongue, she stood up from the chair and had set the purse onto her table. The woman moved a hand into her hair as she sighed heavily. "Look it is obvious that me and Chi-Chi have been seeing each other and I know you don't like the fact of that. However, I have an idea that you may like that will still allow us to see each other and please you at the same time." Ugh talking so formally to him was a pain in the neck. She just wanted to throw the god forsaken tape that was in her purse at his face, and call it a day. Layla moved a hand into her purse and grabbed the tape and pulled it out.

Layla waved the tape in her hand before continuing. "I can bring you information my father has on your gang. He makes copies of everything, so he wouldn't notice if something was missing. Do you remember that tape that Chiaki gave you a while back? He got that from me. This tape in my hand is another thing I found. So take it." Layla said as she outstretched her hand to give it to him. When Jared was about to take it, she had pulled her hand back for a second. "So, do we have a deal, or not?" The woman asked the man as she placed her freehand onto her hip.

_(Mattie's POV)_

"Okay, Cole! I'm going! Ow! Stop shoving! I'm going!" Matthieu let out a whine and twisted away from his friends grip and stopped and sent him a pouty glare. He had been RIGHT in the middle of making deliciously amazing homemade potato and cheese soup (and garlic bread of course) when Cole came bursting in ranting about how Jared wanted HIM to take a beer out. HIM? Why HIM? He was VERY busy cooking! He didn't have time to take Jared and beer, and Jared wouldn't ask him to do it since he knew how BUSY he was! He had never cooked for this many people before! It was very very very stressful! Matthieu was, in the end, was shoved a beer into his hands and was literally dragged out of the kitchen and into the hall way. Jared wasn't even drinking beer anymore! The beer in the fridge was stocked by the gang members, Matthieu wasn't stupid. He knew what went on in his kitchen! This was ridiculous! He huffed and yanked away from Cole as the male pushed him again. Why was he so damn eager? And why wasn't Cole IN the meeting? The boy sighed and listened. It was... quiet. He turned to say something to Cole when he was literally SHOVED inside the room, Cole close behind him.

Almost right away, Matthieu froze. That girl. There was a girl now looking at him - he and Cole had been quite loud coming down the hall way and he had nearly fallen on his face when he was shoved into the room - and as was everyone else. His gaze, however, was focused solely on her. That pink hair... it was just as long and curly as it was in his memories. Everything about her... was the same. He wasn't paying attention to whatever she was handing Jared or the fact that Liam was now beside him looking worried and rather pale for some reason. He was silent for a moment, just looking at her. "L-Layla?" he asked, staring at her, his purple eyes widening. The girl, however... looked confused.

His own sister didn't recognize him?

He felt his eyes fall and grow sad as he looked down at his shoes. Of course she didn't... there was no reason for her to remember him. No one really remembered him... but... he still remembered her, right? His mother had told him to remember her and before she spoke, confirming who she was, he knew that it was her! The male looked up as Layla looked around at the others and was asking who he was and how he knew her. He frowned lightly and before anyone could speak, spoke in a soft gentle voice. "You... your hair is pink?" He purposely worded it as a question, just as he had the first time he met her. Maybe this would spark her memory? Oh, how he hoped. It had been... so long since he had seen his sister. What if... what if she didn't WANT to remember him though? Oh no... maybe it was a mistake saying anything!

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla had made a face when Jared had snatched the tape out of her hand before sitting down. The woman was about to make a smart comment, but she could hear noises coming from the hallway. What the hell was going on in there? Moments later a small blond haired boy came out from the hallway almost tripping over his feet. Layla was just about to avert her attention back to Jared, but the boy did not keep his eyes off of her. It was like he was in some sort of daze. When he had said her name, her eyes had widened. How the hell did he know her name? Layla glanced at the others before responding. "Who is he? How does he know my name?" Layla asked the three boys while Liam hopped out of his chair and headed over to the boy.

Wait…that was Mattie. Mattie was Liam's little boyfriend…right? How the hell did he know her name? That was strange. She highly doubted Liam told him about her, so how else would he know. The woman had raised a brow at the small boy as he started to speak. "Of course my hair is pi-" The woman had froze when something started to click in her brain. Layla remained silent as she tried to think. Moments later she had started to remember when she was younger and with her mother…and brother. Her little…brother…was the one who asked her that before. Layla pulled loose from her thoughts and stared at the boy. He had the same purple eyes and the color of her mother's…hair…an-Mattie…was little Mathieu!

Layla gasped and ran around the table and instantly attacked Mathieu in a hug while shoving Liam away in the process. "Mathieu! It is you! I didn't recognize you at first! It has been so long! " Layla squealed in joy as she pulled away to study the boy's flushed face. He was so cute! It had been forever since the last time she had saw her brother, and she pushed the memory of him back in her thoughts for such a long time. Who knew her brother was Liam's little lover! "How have you been? I'm surprised you even remember your sister! Then again…I guess you can't forget pink hair…" Layla had laughed before kissing the boy's head.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared could have laughed as Chiaki warned Layla, but said nothing instead. It was so pathetic that he had to warn her... but she did listen and she did stand up. He didn't let his face change as the woman finally began to talk. Son of a bitch, his suspicions were right. From the way that Liam was looking, he knew all of this already. His eyes gave everything away. He had spent to much time being kind to these two. He hadn't beat them in such a long time that they forgot WHY they were afraid of him. He needed to beat these damn people more. MAKE them remember why the fuck they were afraid of him! "Chi-Chi?" he asked, an eye brow raising to hide his amusement. Mama Chi-Chi... hehe. He liked it. He would make fun of the kid for that shitty nickname later.

The male pulled from his thoughts and stared as the girl took something out of her purse. A.. tape? He straightened and now listened more closely as she spoke. So that had been really how Chiaki had got the tape? Well well. These past months were just full of lies, weren't they? Jared didn't take fondly to being lied to. Not at all... fucking boys. He boy reached his hand to take the tape and glared as it was moved away from his hand. He leaned back and crossed his legs and looked at her thoughtfully. After a moment of silence he leaned forward and snatched the tape from her stupid little fingers. "I don't th-" Jared stopped and snapped his head to the side and glared as there was a door slammed open.

What the fuck were Mattie and Cole doing? No. From the look on Mattie's face, he had been shoved the entire way here and in Mattie's hand.. a beer? Fucking Cole! He was being nosy again! He sent a cold glare at Cole, instantly catching on whose fault it really was. He was mad at everyone right now, but he knew for a fact that it wasn't Mattie's fault. The kid was to... well, right now he was to busy staring at Layla. What? Had he never seen a girl with pink hair before? Fuck, how sheltered WAS he? Jared opened his mouth to send the kids away when Liam was almost right away at Mattie's side and then... Mattie spoke.

How did that kid know about her? No one had told him. Liam didn't know really who she was - or did that fucker? - and Cole didn't. This Jared knew for a fact. How.. did the kid know? He ignored Layla as she started to freak out and ask everyone how the fuck he knew her... then he spoke again. Wow, what amazing observation skills. He opened his mouth to say something... but stopped again seeing the look on Layla's face. She was silent... silent... then started to scream before attacking Matthieu, shoving Liam away. As she spoke, the male felt himself cursing in his head. BROTHER AND SISTER? FUCK. THIS MADE EVERYTHING SO COMPLICATED. When she was just the daughter of that ass and girlfriend of that fucking idiot it made everything okay. But... when she was Mattie's sister? MATTIE'S sister? Jared sighed and moved and let his head fall down onto the table making a very loud, and very hard sound. "Everyone get the fuck out... NOW."

(Layla's POV)

Layla smiled at Mattie before glancing at Liam when he started to spazz. '_You are HIS sister? Last time I checked he didn't have any siblings!' _This had caused Liam to frown at Mattie. Mathieu didn't tell his own boyfriend he had a sister? Then again she had been with Chiaki a little over a year and she didn't tell him. However…that was only because she pushed the memory so far back that she had forgotten. She felt guilty for forgetting her little brother, but…she hadn't seen him since she was so young. Layla snapped out of her thoughts and flinched lightly when there was a loud slamming noise. Glancing back, she had noticed Jared's head colliding against the table. Did he just die from old age? Layla thought hopefully even though she knew he didn't die.

When the male had shouted for all of them to get the fuck out, she had raised a brow. Why? He never even made up his mind about her offer to him. Oooh wait a minute. She remembered Chiaki saying that Jared treated Mattie in a special way, and her being his sister…-Haha. The girl pulled from her thoughts as she stared at the male. "We still have a deal right…?" This only caused Jared to shout again, which had caused the smaller boy to cling to her and drag her out of the warehouse. "Chiaki! Grab my purse please!" Layla called back as the three of them made it outside. Heh, Liam still looked lost…and a bit pissed in a way. When Chiaki finally came out with her purse, she had grabbed it from him softly. "Thank you. God, I hope smelly Jared goes along with this." Layla sighed before glancing at Mattie. "I wanted to try your food to! I could smell it cooking." The woman whined before glancing at Chiaki who didn't look to happy. She had frowned a little before shuffling her feet. "Now…what?"

_(Mattie's POV)_

There was a few moments of silence in the room as Layla thought about what he had said. It felt like hours even though it was only seconds! Finally though... finally her eyes brightened and... and then he was attacked! The male let out a cry and had to force himself to NOT fall over as he was hugged and clung to as the woman squealed. He felt his face turn red almost right away at her words. "I-I'm fine." he said, flushed as the girl pulled away and kissed his forehead. This was... nice. It wasn't what he had pictured in his head, but his life wasn't like that either, but...it felt nice. To have someone who was happy to see him. Liam was always happy to see him all the time.. but this was different. The male opened his mouth to say something again when there was a loud slam. He jumped and, out of pure instinct, moved in front of his sister as Jared yelled. He took a step back and took his sisters arm, but instead of moving she spoke. Waaah! She couldn't do that! When Jared said leave... he meant LEAVE! He winced and let out a small cry as Jared screamed at them to get out. Even Cole jumped! Matthieu grabbed his sisters arm and pulled her out of the kitchen quickly as she told Chiaki to grab her purse. Wow... Chiaki looked really unhappy, what was wrong? The male always looked annoyed or angry... but never so... unhappy. Once in the hall way, Matthieu let go of Layla's arm and walked over to Liam slowly. He was unhappy to and almost looked like he wanted to leave.

Was... he mad? Yes, he looked mad. He was mad. Mad and irritated that he hadn't been told about Layla. "I'm really sorry I never told you." he said softly, looking down. He couldn't help but feel almost like a kicked puppy because of the fact that Liam was so mad at him. He understood why Liam was mad... but didn't at the same time. There was a lot about him that Liam didn't know. A lot that he would probably never know. There was a lot that no one knew because he hadn't told anyone... "I never thought that I would see her again.. so I didn't want to tell you." he said without looking up, his lips pulled down into a frown. "I'm really sorry..."

It was only when he felt a hand on his head did he look up from his little red converse. Liam still didn't look happy... but he spoke and said it was okay. Matthieu smiled and nodded. He KNEW there was more to it than just that... but he couldn't ask here in front of everyone. Tonight when they went home he would talk to him more about it and explain. Luckily... Cole didn't look like he was going to be bragging about knowing... the blue haired boy was still staring at the door to the main room where Jared was having a melt down. He knew how badly his friend wanted to go in there... and hell, he probably would as soon as everything calmed down just a bit. The male turned his head and looked over to Layla and Chiaki in time to see him hand her her purse then walk off, still obviously not happy at all. He blinked and before she could go after him, darted over and took her hand. "Layla! I'm making soup and it's almost done. Would you like a bowl?" he asked with a bright smile. When she nodded the boy took her hand, smiling at Liam to tell him that he WANTED him to come, before pulling her gently toward the kitchen. He didn't know much about Chiaki, just that the boy deserved some time alone. Matthieu didn't know the situation, just that he looked like he was torn between crying and shooting someone until they looked like cheese.

The male led his sister into the over sized kitchen and dropped her hand and ran over to the stove. He pulled the top off from the giant pot and peered in. Hmm... it looked okay and smelt okay... but he had to taste it. The male grabbed his spoon and dipped it into the pot and took a small bite. Nope. Not done. Matthieu grabbed the salt and added a bit more before stirring it and putting the lid on. "It'll be done in a few minutes." he said cheerfully as he grabbed the garlic bread and put it into the oven. By the time the bread was done, the soup would be done. he would feed Layla, Liam, Jared, and Cole first. Then feed everyone else. He had to make a mental note to save some for Chiaki who probably wouldn't come down for dinner. "I hope you like it, Layla. I've made it for Liam before and he liked it. It was Mothers recipe." he said shyly. THAT had been something he hadn't told Liam... mostly because he never talked about his mother to him. That was only because it was... well... hard to talk about someone that he had never met. Layla and Matthieu didn't share many memories. That one day they had spent together, but from that Layla had to know what kind of person their mother was. She was... just... so amazing. An amazingly sweet and caring person. He could speak fondly of his mother for hours, it was just after it hurt. Tonight he wouldn't sleep, he knew it already. From meeting Layla and the mere mention of his mother would keep him up all night. For the moment he didn't let it show on his face and only smiled at his half sister. Would he get any sleep anymore? Layla was nothing like their mother... but she was beautiful like mother. The hair was obviously different.. but the face. The smile. Her hair looked just as soft. Matthieu was never going to get a good nights sleep... there would be dreams of his mother from now on. While that was pleasant... it was also very... unpleasant.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki felt himself relax only a little bit as the girl did as he said and relaxed. Well... not really relaxed but her tone of voice changed as she obeyed the command and stood up as she spoke. Good. This was going... okay. Good was not the fucking right word. Layla wasn't even supposed to be here, god damn it! What the fuck had he done to make her want to die? She was walking right into a trap! This had to be some kind of god damned plot on Jared's part. He was smarter than people gave him credit for. Much craftier too. He said nothing and merely watched the scene in front of him as Layla spoke then Jared snatched the tape from her hands. Before he could say anything, likely rejecting her help, there was a commotion down the hall way? Who the fuck would dare interrupt after Jared had screamed like THAT? No one he could think of in the gang was that stupid.

He could have kicked himself when he saw who it was as two figures burst into the room nearly tripping over each other. Matthieu and Cole. The young ones. Of course. The only two bastards who could get away with it. Well.. Cole less than Mattie, but either way. It was Mattie who froze and... said Layla's name? Instantly the boy stood up. How did Mattie know Layla? No one told him about her... he was supposed to be clueless. He SHOULD be completely clueless. He didn't move as the male then commented on her pink hair then seconds later... she was hugging him? Wait... BROTHER? He felt his mouth open slightly. Layla never told HIM about her brother! He thought that she told him everything... well. Apparently not. Chiaki closed his mouth quickly and didn't flinch as there was a loud thump next to him. This was good news for Layla. Jared knew how valuable Mattie was, and now that Mattie had an emotional attachment to Layla, he couldn't kill Layla and now had almost no choice in accepting her help. He sighed lightly as Jared screamed... then he was ordered by Layla to grab her purse? He felt his eyes narrow slightly but grabbed it anyways and followed. The male couldn't help but feel the slightest bit hurt about the situation. He didn't want Layla here, and now that she was he found out about some brother that she had never told him about? How could he help but feel hurt and even more annoyed?

Chiaki waited patiently for Matthieu to approach Liam to apologize about everything before he went over to Layla. Why did LIAM look offended and hurt by this? What a bitch. "Here." he said, his voice slightly colder than he meant to be as he handed her the purse. He had told Layla before... when he was at the base and around the other gang members, he was a completely different person. He had NEVER wanted her to see this side of him and yet here she was. Of her own free will and wanting to see this side of him. He was not a nice person around the others and he wasn't going to change how he acted just because she was here. This was his home, his base. He couldn't change just because she was around. The other guys would take him as a joke! If he wanted to be feared, which it was more of need than a want, he had to continue to be the rude bastard that he was around them.."While around others, please don't refer to me as Chi-Chi. Just Chiaki." Again, his voice was much colder than he had originally intended, but instead of commenting on it, such as apologizing, the male turned around and made his way down the abandoned hall way away from the kitchen and away from the main room without bothering waiting for a reply. He could hear Mattie in the background dragging Layla down into the kitchen for a distraction. Good. He needed some time by himself anyways.

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam had moved a hand into his black hair as he walked into another hallway along with Layla and Mattie. God he was sooo pissed. First Layla actually showed up and ratted him and Chiaki out. There was no doubt that they were going to get some kind of beating. If he somehow managed to get saved from that then he wouldn't doubt Chiaki coming to him to kick his ass. Apparently it was still his fault that Layla liked his idea and was going to use it. How was HE supposed to know that she was listening to them? Ugh. What was even worse was that seconds ago he found out that LAYLA was Mattie's SISTER? What the hell was that all about! Mattie did not tell him anything about having any siblings and for it to be Layla of all people? Now Jared was in the main room having a "Fuck my life." moment, while the three stood out here.

Why didn't Mattie tell him he had a sibling? WHY? Liam grunted mentally before glancing to the side when Chiaki came in and gave Layla her purse before leaving. Liam happened to look at Mattie when the boy had apologized for not telling him before glancing down. The black haired male had sighed heavily when the boy had said he didn't want to tell him because he thought he would never see her again. Liam moved a hand onto the boy's head before ruffling the male's blond locks. "It is okay, you don't need to apologize." Even though he said this he was still somewhat annoyed, but for now he let it pass. Liam let his red eyes stare at the siblings when Mattie offered Layla a bowl of his soup. The man blinked when Mattie smiled his way as if telling him to follow.

The male had walked behind the two as Mattie dragged Layla into the kitchen. The male had hopped on the counter and rested his arms into his lap. The man glanced at the two as he studied their face. They didn't look alike at all. They had different color of hair and all. Then again the pink hair was probably dyed, but then something clicked. If they haven't seen each other since…they were little…that meant her hair was pink then by the comment Mattie made. Wait, so they dyed her hair when she was little? The male made a face at the thought before looking at the two. "So…, are you two half siblings?" The male asked with a blink.

_(Layla's POV)_

While Mathieu was a apologizing to Liam, she had stared at Chiaki when he told her to address him as Chiaki when around the base. Layla frowned at this and watched at the male headed off. She was just so use to calling him by his nickname. Sighing heavily, she had turned back around to look at her brother when he offered to give her a bowl of soup. "Sure, I would love some." Layla said with a small smile before letting out a small squeak when her brother grabbed her wrist and started to drag her down the hallway. Well this turned out to be an interesting chain of events. She only came to make a deal with Jared, and ended up being reunited with her half brother? That was something she was not expecting. Then again, everyone else seemed more shocked then her and Mattie combined. Liam was being moody, Jared was cursing in the main room and Chiaki…was probably upset even more at her. This caused her to frown, but before she could do anything Mattie had spoken to her.

They were in the kitchen already? Layla glanced around the huge area before back at Mattie. "Well, I can't wait. It smells delicious. " Layla told the boy before taking a seat in one of the chairs in the kitchen since Liam was sitting on the counter. A small smile formed on her lips when the boy said it was one of mother's recipes. "I'm afraid I never had it. That…I can remember of course." The woman said with a small frown before glancing up at Liam when asked them a question. "Of course we are. We have the same mother and different fathers. Mathieu is one cute little half-breed isn't he?" Layla asked with a small grin. Mathieu was such a cute little boy. He looked exactly like their mother that was for sure.

_(Mattie's POV)_

"It'll be good, I promise." he said with a gentle giggle. Most of the good food, the REALLY good food, that he made was his mothers recipe's. All of the soups he made from scratch, the bread, the pancakes, and he even knew how to make butter and some cheese! He had not, however, done that in a very very long time. Matthieu pushed some hair from his face and looked at Liam as he spoke. The male nodded and allowed Layla to speak for him... but stopped and turned his head and gave her a strange look. Half breed? "I know that my father was American, but don't you think half breed is a bit mean?" he asked with a small laugh. He couldn't tell if the girl was serious or kidding. Half breed was a strange thing to call him though. Sure, he wasn't all French, but he spoke the language and... well... he had never been to France. Oh, how he wanted to!

Matthieu pulled from his thoughts and looked over at Layla as she gave him a funny look. Liam was looking at her like she was crazy to while... Matthieu was just confused. As his sister spoke again his look of confusion strengthened and he took the look Liam had... one that was looking at her like she was insane. Immortal? What the hell was she talking about immortal? "What are you talking about? Are you okay, Layla? Maybe you should see a doctor or go and lie down." he said with a worried frown. He let out a squeak and jumped back as the woman said no and ranted a bit about Mother not telling him? "N-not telling me what? I don't know what you're talking about so I can't know if Mother told me or not.."

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla had moved a hand to set her purse on the table behind her when Mattie laughed and had spoken. Huh? "No, I didn't mean by the fact that he is American silly. What I meant to say is that you are part immortal." Layla said with a shrug, but both boys had given her a strange look. _'What the hell do you mean by immortal? Are you on something?' _Liam asked the girl and she had shook her head quickly as she gave him a look. "I am NOT on anything-see a doctor? I'm completely fine!" The woman cried out, but then something hit her. Wait Mathieu was acting as if he had not any clue what she was saying. Wait…did their mother ever tell Mathieu what he was?

By the look on the boy's face, it said no. Crap, she did not want to be the one to have to tell the boy about this, but if she did not who will. Jared? BAH! It was better to hear it from someone who was relative to you then someone like Jared. Layla sighed and stood up and looked over at the boy. "Mother never told you did she?" The woman asked, but this only caused Mattie to stutter. Yep, she didn't tell him. "Look, our mother was immortal, and since your father was a human makes you a half-breed. See, I am immortal as well since both of my parents are. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I am serious." Even now Liam was just staring at her like she was some maniac and Mathieu still remained confused. Layla was about to rant some more when someone came into the kitchen. Her eyes darted to the side and towards the person.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared growled and stood up slowly, rubbing his now pained head. What a fucking head ache, and it was all that bitches fault. Chiaki and Lim were in for a lot of pain tonight. He'd send Mattie home after dinner, have the boys do the dishes and then beat the fuck out of them. If they seriously expecting to escape without at least one wound... they were very fucking wrong. Maybe he would make Layla and Mattie watch him beat the two. Ah, that would be even better! Yes, that would make them suffer more knowing their loved ones were being hurt and there was nothing they could do. He would have just skipped a step and beat Mattie and Chiaki, since Mattie was the only way to get to Liam's fucking head, but the kid had spent literally all day cooking. Hm. He still had to think that over. "Instead of waiting by the door, go do something useful." he snapped, nudging Cole with his foot seeing the male sitting outside the main room. Likely waiting for him to calm down. He stepped over Cole before heading down the hall way and to the kitchen.

About half way down... he heard the conversation. So... his suspicion was right. The kid wasn't a human. He WAS a half breed. Oh.. he was good. Jared knew there was something about the kid that he wanted to keep near by him. And sure enough... he was fucking right. The male listened for a moment and shook his head as Liam and Mattie commented to Layla and she was to stupid to understand that they had no idea what the fuck she was talking about. "The bitch isn't lying." he said as he stepped into the kitchen. He leaned against the door frame and barely looked at the three as they looked to him. Two in confusion, and one in... well, Layla was a mixture of relieved and pissed. A look of hatred, but he ignored it. "I had my thoughts about what you were kid, but I wasn't sure so I kept 'em to myself." He pushed himself away from the wall and headed over to the table. He ignored Layla completely and leaned against it, looking at Mattie, ignoring Liam who seemed completely lost. "There's a long story about our kind, none to pretty. To find pure breeds like Layla and myself is odd because throughout time there've been more and more half breeds, quarter breds, and so on and so forth till it didn't matter. You, my friend, are exactly half human and half immortal." He paused and laughed seeing the look on their faces. They didn't believe him.

"How about I get someone who you will believe, eh?" He turned his head to the door and with one loud yell, "COLE!" Seconds later, as thought, in came the boy running. He was always close by, wasn't he? Little fucker was such a stalker. "Now, don't be confused. Cole here is a human, he's just seen the proof I have to offer him." He told Mattie before turning his head to Cole. "Oi, Kid. Make a long story short and explain to Mattie and Liam here 'bout immortals."

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla felt herself mentally curse when Jared came inside the kitchen. In a way, she was relieved that he was there since he could explain everything, but at the same time, she wanted to beat him. The woman watched as he started to talk before heading near the table and leaning against it. Layla scooted to the side a bit and remained silent as Jared tried to tell Mattie and Liam about the whole immortal thing. Liam looked mindfucked and Mattie still looked lost. Liam had stared at the two with a raised brow before speaking. _'Is this some kind of prank or something?' _The male asked the two of them, but she had shook her head as in saying 'no.' Soon after Jared had called out for Cole to come here

So, Cole knew? Layla had turned in her chair and looked at the boy as he started to grin before replying while nodding. _'Immortals are people who can outlive regular humans. At first I was I was a little skeptical, but he then showed me proof that he was indeed immortal. Jared had a box of stuff from wars he had been to that no one else could have. Jared even had a picture with some soldiers with him standing in the back.' _The boy said with a smile before looking at Jared. _'Is that good?' _When the male had nodded at him and told him to leave, Cole did so.

Layla smirked lightly as the boy walked out the kitchen before looking back at Mattie and Liam. "He is right. It is not anything to be ashamed of either if that is what you are thinking. " Layla said towards the boy with a weak smile before looking at Liam as he started to spazz. _'So…you are telling us that…Mattie here is immortal and that you two are as well! The fuck?'_ Layla only nodded as the male continued to rant…and rant while Mattie remained silent. " Mattie are you ok…?"

_(END OF CHAPTER~! Alsooo sorry about the lame ending. XD )_


	18. Baby?

_EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER! :'D_

_**Hur hur hur~**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla held her purse closely to her as she headed down the sidewalk towards a small store. The woman was wearing a light blue dress with matching flats while her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. Earlier this morning she had woke up with the urge to throw up. Layla had thrown up three times…missing the toilet…every single time. Ugh that was a disgusting mess to clean up. Layla had to shoo Allie away incase her curious cat senses kicked and wanted to taste it. The weird thing is she didn't know why she threw up due to the fact she hadn't been hanging around anyone who was sick. After she had finished cleaning everything up, she went downstairs to grab a thermometer to take her temperature incase she was sick. Layla entered the kitchen and opened a cabinet to get the thermometer. However, her eyes glanced at the calendar to see what today's date was. Layla had raised a brow when she didn't see L mark on the calendar. When was she supposed to start her period? Layla flipped back to find out when she had her period last when she noticed…she didn't notice a L until three months back. WHAT! That had to be wrong!

Maybe she just forgot to mark them down? Layla felt her stomach turn in a bad way as stared at the calendar. No…she couldn't be pregnant! No way in fucking hell! Layla slammed the cabinet closed and jolted upstairs to get dressed and grab some money. Now, fifteen minutes later she was in the store looking for a pregnancy test. She spotted a whole bunch of different ones, and without thinking she grabbed about fifteen of them and walked to the register. Layla moved a hand into her purse and pulled out the money and slammed it on the counter as the man behind it gave her a look. "What! Stop staring at me and ring those up! " Layla snapped at the male who in return jumped and did what he was told. When she was handed the bag, she had snatched it from him. "Keep the change. "

Layla walked out of the store and after a fifteen minute ride home from a taxi, she had went into her room quickly. Good thing her father wasn't home, ugh. Slamming her door shut, she locked it behind her before going into the bathroom. She reached inside the bag and pulled a small box out. Layla removed the stick from the box and did what she had to do on them. Layla looked at the stick when finished and felt her eyes narrow. There was a plus sign on it that said positive. "LIAR!" Layla shouted as she tossed it in the trash and peed on about five more sticks. All of them said positive, and she would have kept on peeing…, but she was out of…pee.

Layla finished up in the bathroom and stormed out of her room to go get some orange juice. Those six sticks had to be wrong! They just had to be! Layla headed in the kitchen and poured her a tall glass of orange juice and started to gulp it down. She drank about five glasses and the urge to pee came back. Yes! Running back upstairs, she went into the bathroom and peed on about five more sticks…, but none of them said negative. As much as she wanted to believe the sticks were defected…she had to come face to face with reality. All of them were different brands, and each said yes. So…she…was…pregnant. How could she be pregnant! She was on the pill and Chiaki used a condom every fucking time! Ugh! He probably didn't put it on right, or those birth control pills were …DEFECTED! She…had to see a doctor…that was the only way she could know for fact that she was pregnant.

**(~~~A week later~~~)**

Layla was sitting on her bed looking at the results on a sheet of paper her doctor gave her. She was in fact pregnant, no doubt about it. Layla wanted to scream and beat the shit out of someone. What was she going to do! HER pregnant! She HATED kids! HATE! HATE! She couldn't hide her pregnancy from her father due to the fact her stomach will keep getting bigger…and bigger! She was unfit to be a mother! Having a baby with someone from her father's rival gang was not…good. Jared would probably beat Chiaki to death when he found out. Ugh she could not keep this baby …she just couldn't. Maybe she should get an abortion? Layla started to fold up the test result and shoved it in her purse along with another tape for Jared. She had to see Chiaki _now_.

Layla had snuck out of her house and took a taxi to the base and pushed opened the doors. Everyone of course looked at her, but went about their business. They were starting to get use to her dropping in, so that was good. "I got another tape." Layla said as she walked over to Jared to hand him the tape that she got out of her purse. " I need to borrow Chiaki for a moment though." Jared of course gave her a dirty look, but just told her to make it quick. Layla motioned Chiaki to follow her down the hallway and when the male did so, she stopped walking once they were out of sight from everyone. Layla reached into her purse and handed him the piece of paper that showed that she was pregnant.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki sighed and turned his head and stared at the wall boredly as Jared and some random idiot argued. The argument was more of a debate, of course, since the idiot would be dead if he actually dared to argue with Jared. Not many could get away with that. He sighed and leaned back against the chair and spun his gun in a small circle. What a week, what a week. It started out terrible. One of his favorite elderly patients had died early into his shift on Monday morning making the rest of the day not to... well.. not good. For the first time since deciding to become a doctor, one of his superiors had to lecture him. Mostly about being a doctor and loosing people would happen often and dealing with it was on his own time and blah blah the other patients didn't need to see him or his problems. Whatever. It ended well in the fact.. one of the child patients, a five year old who had been treated for cancer since she was practically born, was scanned and dubbed cancer free. It was like the world was telling him to be a bipolar bastard to everyone. Chiaki sighed and turned his head to look a Jared and tried, REALLY tried, to focus and push the thoughts of work out of his mind. It, of course, failed. He found himself thinking more and more about work. He was caring less about money and more about the actual person he was supposed to be killing or shooting. Ugh, this was not good.

The male yawned and pulled his gun up from the table and shoved it into his holster tiredly as the door opened. He turned his head to look at who it was before looking back to Jared. It was only Layla. He still wasn't happy about it, but he was now used to Layla bursting in every now and then. Once in a while for actual business, but usually to bug him or Mattie. Usually Mattie. He watched boredly as Layla handed a tape to Jared... then asked for him? "Huh?" he asked and straightened. He turned his head to Jared and watched the male as he glared. Apparently the boy didn't want to argue about it and told him to hurry it up. AWESOME! An excuse to not to listen to that bastard talk! He stood up, trying not to look to eager, as he followed Layla out of the meeting room and down the hall way. Not to far into it, just far enough away from any listening ears, she stopped. He stared at her quizzically as she reached into her purse and handed him something. A piece of paper? Oookay? Did she loose her voice or wanted to just pass notes like she was in high school or something?

He unfolded the paper and looked down to it and scanned it quickly. He caught a few words, like 'doctor', 'fetus', and 'appointment' before he stopped and read it all. He knew this form. Fuck, he'd learned how to fill this form out before.. Layla was.. she.. "You're pregnant?" he said, his mouth open in awe. It took a few moments to register, but right when it did he grinned. "Oh, Layla! That's awe-" He stopped, the smile disappearing right as she spoke again. "An.. abortion?" he asked, the frown tugging even deeper at the corner of his lips. "Why the hell would you do that, Layla?" he asked, his voice showing obvious confusion. It wasn't like the pregnancy was planned - there was no way in FUCK they would plan this right now! - but... an abortion? Chiaki wasn't an insane pro-life kind of a person... but the kind of feeling after holding a new born? Oh, it was just amazing. The idea of holding his OWN new born? It was... it was such an exciting thought! A father? He could be a father! He had never thought about having a child with Layla. He knew that some day he would like to, but had always figured it would never happen. Not only because she was a demon and he was a human... but also because he had never seen himself as a father. He was to busy to even shower these days! He had to take one just before work at the hospital every single day. And Layla... well, she never showed interest to those kinds of things. But... the thought. He couldn't let Layla do this! There was just... no way.

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla let her eyes focus on Chiaki's face when he had spoken. "Yes, I'm pregnant." Ugh even saying it out loud made her stomach turn in a bad way. Chiaki's reaction to her being pregnant confused her. He was happy? If anything she would have thought he would be slightly worried and shit. Before Chiaki could finish his sentence, she had spoken. "I'm getting an abortion." The pink haired woman told the male as his once so happy face turned into one of confusion and a bit of sadness. The woman moved a hand into her hair and sighed heavily as he asked her why she would do that. Was he serious? She couldn't have this baby! "I can't have this child. I don't like kids…, and I am unfit to be a mother. My father would FREAK if he found out and the same thing with Jared. Anyways and it would cause so much drama. If I kept this baby…it would just make things complicated for the both of us."

Layla said with a grunt as she adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. By the look on Chiaki's face he was not happy about her getting an abortion. Did he REALLY want to keep this baby? If she had this baby it would get in the way with his work with the gang and being a doctor. The woman snapped out of her thoughts when Chiaki insisted that she would be a wonderful mother and that she would get use to the kid, and something about who gave a shit about Jared. Layla frowned and took a step back. "Chiaki! I CAN'T have this baby! I just CAN'T!" The woman cried out, but it only led to Chiaki to ask _'Why can't you?'_ and continued to rant. "What if something happens to the baby? What if I mess up? A-And…I'm scared! " Layla shouted as she flailed her arms to the point where she dropped the purse while a small frown tugged onto her lips. Yes…she was scared. Who knows what kind of danger could come along the way if she had a baby.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki felt like rolling his eyes as the girl ranted. "Who gives two fucks about Jared and your father!" he said a bit louder than he meant to. Layla wanted to get an abortion because of what Jared and her DAD thought? That was no reason to kill an unborn kid! He had seen enough ultra-sounds to know that no matter what size... if it had a beating heart, it was a baby. He just didn't know what gender. Oh, he wanted a little girl to spoil! His life would be complete if he had to beautiful princess's to take care of. "Layla, you would be an amazing mother. I've seen how you care for Allie, and how you look at cute kids when we pass 'em. You may not notice, but I do. After having a kid, you get used to it. People have instincts, they tell us what to do. Even if it made things complicated, oh it would be so worth it, Layla." he said and narrowed it eyes only slightly as she spoke again, stepping back. "Why can't you?" he asked, taking a step forward to close in the space that she had left when she had stepped back.

When Layla spoke and flailed, the boy stopped and blinked. Scared? He had never thought that Layla could be scared. In general and over the thought of bringing a kid into the world. He let a soft smile fall onto his lips before he pulled the girl into his arms, only holding her tighter as she tried to pull away. "You'll be fine, Layla. I'll be with you every step of the way. It's normal to be worried for the baby, and I don't blame you. Bringing a kid into the world while these tensions exist between the people closest to us would be hard... but that's okay. Difficult things are bound to happen with any large step in life. You just have to remember that you're not doing it alone and you won't ever be doing it alone." Chiaki stopped and kissed her head softly.

Oh, he really hoped she kept the kid. He knew that Matthieu would be absolutely tickled if he found out that he was going to be an uncle. The kid was just a bit to caring and kind for his own good.. but that was a good thing in this situation. "Come on, Layla. I know it's scary, but think about Mattie too. Can you imagine how happy he would be if he heard he was going to be an uncle? I bet he would be happier than if Liam told him they were moving to Canada." He laughed at his own joke before looking back to Layla, a small serious smile on his face. "We can find away through this, Layla. There's something we can do about this, there is a way we can get through this. I'll make it happen. I promise."

_(Layla's POV)_

Layla continued to frown as Chiaki stepped forwards and had wrapped his arms around her. Layla let out a small sound as she tried to pull away from his grasp. However, she gave up after a while since Chiaki only tightened his grip on her. The woman had peered up at Chiaki when he started to talk about how she would be fine, and that he would be there for her every step of the way. Well, that was comforting in a way. Not that she would ever think that Chiaki would leave her to do all of this by herself. The woman closed both of her eyes when her forehead was then kissed gently. Layla was about to say something to the boy, but he interrupted her by saying that Mattie would be happy to find out that he was an uncle. That was true. Mattie did strike her as someone who loved kids. It would be nice to see him so excited…and happy. Layla laughed softly when Chiaki said Mattie would be even happier about being an uncle then moving to Canada.

The woman pulled away from her thoughts as she stared up at the male when he told her that there was a way to get through this. Maybe…keeping the baby wouldn't be so bad after all. " Alright…, I'll keep the baby." The pink haired woman told Chiaki with a small smile forming onto her lips. "What do you suggest we do…though? I mean if we are going to keep this baby there are going to be a lot of problems…" God she could only imagine how furious her father would be if he found out. He would freak out more of the fact that she had been seeing someone from his rival gang behind his back. "Should we inform Jared and the others, wait? Or…?" Layla was unsure what to do and she only hoped that Chiaki knew something because she was blank for ideas as of right now.

_(Chiaki's POV)_

Chiaki felt himself grin hugely as the other spoke and said she would keep the baby! YES! He was going to be a father! Really? Was it possibly true that HE was going to be a DAD? Yes! God, this was so awesome! Him... a dad? Yes! "No no no, don't you worry about anything." he said gently and kissed her head again. The male released her long enough to bend down and pick up her purse. He gently slid it up her arm and rested it onto her shoulder before he leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. "I'll take care of everything, my love. Just leave it to me." He smiled at her before letting one of his hands caress her cheek and move into her hair as the other touched her arm.

Talking to Jared was going to suck, that was so fucking true. What the hell was he supposed to tell Jared? Maybe he could get Mattie to help... yeah. Matthieu was a great kid and everyone knew that Jared had somewhat of a soft spot for the kid. He knew that if anyone could talk to Jared, it was Mattie... he just had to get Mattie away from Liam long enough for them to talk. Fuck. Liam had been attached to Mattie like a fucking tick lately! How the hell was he supposed to get Mattie away from that bastard? Bah, whatever. He would find a way, damn it! Chiaki pulled from his thoughts and smiled back down to the girl and handed her the paper back. "We'll figure this all out, I promise, my love. I don't want you to worry about any of it. Not Jared, not your dad, not Mattie. Just you. Alright? I'll take care of you." He bent forward and kissed her softly on the lips for a moment before pulling back. "I promise."

**(This Chapter is A LOT shorter compared to others, but I wanted to save the next scenes for later~! ;D)**


	19. All I did was ignore you

_NINETEENTH CHAPTER! :'D_

_**A lot of drama in this one~ No doubt about that…XD**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole moved a hand to grab a towel and dried his hair as he stepped out of the shower. A couple days ago Layla and Chiaki had told everyone that they were expecting a baby. He was so excited since he loved babies! They were so cute until they spit up on you of course. However, Chiaki had come up with this idea that Layla's father's gang and Jared's gang should break off the war between them for the baby coming along. Jared was NOT happy, but decided to make some deal with them. Jared wanted them to find another gang…for Jared to fight with. However he didn't want just any kind of gang, he wanted another immortal leader of a gang to fight with. From what Layla said it would be hard to find one and it could take months…and even years since she needed her father's help and she didn't want to tell him about everything now and wanted Jared to do the talking. So, when he was alone in the kitchen Chiaki and Layla approached him with the idea of him trying to get Jared to change his mind with his oh so cuteness and he had agreed to do it.

Cole pulled away from his thoughts as he changed into a pair of lime green pajama pants and a long black sleeved shirt with Reptar on it. The boy grabbed a brush and brushed his hair down before adjusting his lip ring. The male flicked the light switch off in the bathroom before heading out of the bathroom and out the room. Jared was currently watching television, sooo he was going to try and convince the other to change his mind now. Cole made his way downstairs and entered the living room as he noticed Jared looking extremely bored. Sheesh nothing was ever on Thursdays huh? Cole moved a hand into his hair as he walked over to the couch and grabbed the remote before turning the television off. He got a small glare from Jared, but he only smiled and climbed on the other's lap so he was facing Jared with both legs on either side of him. "Hey Jared I have been thinking…" The boy said as he moved his hands into Jared's hair to play with it.

God he hoped this would work. "You know how you told Chiaki and Layla about how they had to find another immortal in a gang for you to fight with? Well, I have been thinking…and that can take a long time. Couldn't you just break the war off with her dad now? If you do it like this they can find you another gang a lot quicker with the help of her father. It would make things a lot easier for everyone. " The boy said with a soft nod towards the male, but he only received a look. Cole was about to speak once more, but Jared had confirmed that he didn't care if it made it easier on everyone and that he wasn't changing his mind. The light blue haired boy frowned before nuzzling his head against Jared's head. "Please Jared?"

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared yawned boredly and moved the wine bottle to his lips for a swig when.. he was greeted with nothing. Fucking bitch. He was out again? Since beer wasn't working anymore, he had resorted to wine. Strong shit. That was no longer working. Ugh. Maybe he could get some imported German Beer from the black market or something. He had to find something to give him that familiar and pleasant buzz. He was tired of NOT being drunk. He just wanted one damn thing to get him drunk as fuck so he could do some mindless and pointless shit he WOULDN'T remember in the morning. How he missed that drunk warm happy buzzed feeling. The male sighed and pushed some hair from his face as he tossed the wine bottle onto the ground, ignoring it as it clattered loudly and rolled away. He muttered something under his breath and started back mindlessly at the television. Why the fuck was there nothing on television? What had he done before television? Oh yeah.. that was when he was able to get drunk and just spent his time doing that and... well... sex. Hehe. The male sighed to himself and moved some hair from his face and groaned as there was foot steps. He was so not in the mood to mess with Cole. He wanted nothing more than to sit there and drink wine and try his best to get fucking drunk. He was quite enjoying wallowing in his own self pity. He did it every so often when he realized how much he fucking hated being him.

When Cole came in, Jared ignored him. When Cole turned the television off the immortal snapped his head over and glared daggers at the kid. What the fuck was he thinking coming in and turning off HIS tv? He was treating Cole to fucking nicely lately. It had been... months since he last even threw something at the kid. Cole was to fucking spoiled and he was getting to fucking used to it. The man glared at the other as he dropped onto his lap and spoke. Instantly the male scoffed and rolled his eyes. THAT was what he wanted to talk about? What the fuck! Jared was being generous enough in not killing Chiaki and giving Layla an abortion himself, which he had seriously almost done. Layla was immortal, but until the kid was actually born it wasn't even a half breed. It was just as useless and fragile as any fetus, human, half bred, or immortal. When it was in that state it didn't matter.

Weeks ago Chiaki approached Jared with news and asking for a... favor. Usually he was more than happy to do Chiaki a favor. In the past the kid had always been helpful and obedient. He always took orders well and he always did the job and did it fast. This favor was NOT anything.. normal. First, he said Layla was pregnant. He taunted the boy for a while about the use of condoms and where babies came from. Why the fuck did Jared care if that fucking bitch was pregnant? That wasn't going to change HIS life and it sure as fuck wasn't going to change Chiaki's work flow. Chiaki had pledged HIS life to his work and to Jared. The bitch didn't matter to him. The favor, however, was when he had nearly shot Chiaki. The boy wanted him to drop the war with Layla's dad BECAUSE she was pregnant. Jared, after laughing at him, declined. It was after than that Chiaki, literally, got onto his knees and begged. It was so fucking pathetic. How low was he to beg for some woman's comfort? In order for Jared to agree there had been a few... terms. The first was Chiaki was to extend his contract in the gang. Originally it was agreed he could leave as soon as he gained his license to practice medicine. Now... it was different. Now after he got his license, he was still in the gang until he had 'lost' one hundred and fifty patients. He agreed, of course, and understood that he could have to. After Chiaki agreed to that Jared commented that Chiaki, and whoever else wanted to help, would have to find him a new gang to fight with. Not just ANY gang... he wanted a gang with another immortal as a leader. Jared wasn't going to end his fun because some bitch was pregnant.

It was true, however, that with Layla bringing all of the evidence and information on her father that fighting... well... it was getting so boring. He knew every move the man was going to make before he made it. While that blew his enemies mind, Jared was getting bored. He had been recently thinking about going off and finding something else to entertain him with, a new 'profession' or a new gang to fight with, he had just never gotten around with this. By making Chiaki do it... HE didn't have to! Hahah! Chiaki had glumly agreed and left. So until Chiaki found that gang nothing was going to change.

So, he wanted to know, why the fuck was Cole sitting on his lap begging for him to change his mind about the situtation? He had been hoping when the male sat on his lap facing him in such a position and spoke then played with his hair that what was coming would be different. Oh, how he had been hoping for something SO much different. What had he done to deserve such a little bastard following him around? Ugh. Damn virgins. What a fucking tease!

"First of all, you nosy bastard, you're not supposed to know about that." God, how desperate were those two to drag in the kids? Matthieu was probably involved in this too, and that he didn't like. Cole and Mattie were fucking KIDS! How low did Layla and Chiaki have to sink to get their way? "Second of all, I don't fucking particularly care about making things easier on everyone else." he said coolly, leaning back against the couch and feeling the sudden urge to shove Cole away from him. Was THAT the only reason the kid was being so close? Was for a fucking favor? Was that all Jared was good for now? Favors? The male felt himself start to get pissed, but for the moment pushed the emotions down. Shoving Cole away from him wouldn't hurt Chiaki. Chiaki wouldn't care if the kid got hurt because he asked for a favor on his behalf. He ignored Cole as the other started to nuzzle against him and beg. "There's no reason for me to do shit for those two. They should be damn grateful i'm even offering them this instead of killing Chiaki and aborting the kid." he snapped. For a half of a second, he regretted saying that but it disappeared quickly. He had spent to many years surviving and struggling to get by to feel bad. The fucking kid would be a HALF BREED. There was nothing wrong with Mattie, of course, but he fucking hated half breeds. "There's nothing you can say or do to change my mind, kid."

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had pulled his head away from Jared's head when the other had ranted about there is no reason to do shit for those two. The light blue haired boy felt himself frown at the aborting the baby comment as well. "Jared that is a horrible thing to say! The baby is innocent in all of this." The male said with a whine, but stopped when Jared confirmed that there was nothing he could do to change the male's mind. "Why are you being so stubborn? If you change this it would make things easier for you too! You would get to fight against another gang quicker." Cole removed his hands from Jared's hair and had rested them on his lap as he pouted. "Finding a new gang could take months…and maybe even years to find without the help of Layla's father! And she can't get help from him unless you inform her father about everything that is happening."

At this point Jared ranted about how he didn't care about long it would take and a whole bunch of other stuff. It was like Jared was made out of stone or something! He was SO stubborn and the only reason he wasn't trying to change his mind was probably because he hated Layla, wasn't it? Ugh! Cole removed himself from Jared's lap and started to head towards the stairs. "Fine whatever! Be stubborn! I'm going to my room!" With that said, he stormed upstairs and slammed his bedroom door shut before locking it. Cole had sat on his bed as he heard Jared yelling after him about him slamming the door. Cole was pissed, so he didn't answer Jared and quickly pulled both knees to his chest. He was going to try and play the quiet game and hopefully he could pout his way to get the other to change his mind.

Cole could hear Jared heading towards his room due to the loud stomps. The light blue haired boy puffed out his cheeks in annoyance when the other had started to bang on his door demanding him to open it. When the other started to warn him again, he remained silent and he could tell that this was really pissing him off. The tone in Jared's voice was getting highly impatient and even though it kind of scared him, he wasn't going to give in without a fight. If there was anything Jared hated more it was someone ignoring him, heh. Cole pulled out of his thoughts when the door was kicked open and in came Jared looking like an angry dragon. He looked extremely pissed, and Cole crawled towards the wall as the other came closer to him as he started to yell. God…this was NOT going to end well.

_(Jared's POV)_

"Innocent? This whole fucking thing is that bastard child's fault!" he snapped, his blue eyes narrowing. He didn't care about some stupid kid anyways. It wasn't his problem and it wasn't something for him to care about... and fuck. He didn't. God damned bastard child. The world would be a better place without another half breed in the world. He rolled his eyes and let out a low growl as the other started to talk. How annoying. Cole was so much cuter when he WASN'T talking. Which was... never. He rolled his eyes and huffed as the other took his hands back and spoke again. "I don't fucking care how long it takes, kid. Get that through your head. I have forever to wait in case you forgot." He paused and grinned grimly to himself. Forever to wait. "I can't believe you haven't figured it out. Fighting another gang means nothing to me. Fighting in general means nothing to me. It's all about the entertainment I get along the way. If Layla wants help from HER father, than that's HER problem. I don't plan on talking to the bastard. She's the one who went and got knocked up. It's her job to tell her daddy, not mine. I wasn't the one who got her pregnant, thank God."

He smirked to himself but let his fade and rolled his eyes as the other got up and spoke angrily before storming off. What the fuck had HIS panties in a bunch? Why was he even doing this? Kids were fucking annoying. And even if Jared DID change his mind, that didn't change the fact that Chiaki's contract had been extended so he wouldn't have TIME for a baby. He'd probably never see the kid anyways. Being a doctor was hard and so was being Jared's bitch. Getting this favor had basically turned Chiaki into it anyways. Jared didn't often give favors, and the fact he was doing THIS was a big favor. Chiaki understood that. Why couldn't Layla and Cole? It had OBVIOUSLY been Layla's idea to ask Cole for the favor. Chiaki was stupid... but not that stupid

The male pulled from his thoughts and felt his eyes narrow hearing a door slam. If there was one thing he hated.. it was doors being slammed. It brought back unpleasant memories. "DON'T YOU FUCKING SLAM MY DOORS!" he shouted. He waited for a reply and felt his eye twitch as he received no response. If there was something that Cole knew... it was that Jared could not STAND to be ignored. In fact, people who usually did that were hurt. "DON'T YOU FUCKING IGNORE ME, BOY! ANSWER ME!" he shouted again, this time standing. He waited for a few moments and growled again. No answer. Was he really being this stupid and childish? Jared kicked over the coffee table in front of him before making his way noisily up the steps, purposely making as much noise as he could to let the kid know what was coming. He was PISSED.

Once in front of the kids door he moved quickly to open it and found it was locked. Great. "Cole, you open this fucking door RIGHT now!" he snapped and hit it loudly a few times. He waited a few seconds and let out a low growl before hitting it again, this time louder. "God damn it, Cole! I'll give you one more fucking warning! Open this door right now or i'll break it down!" he yelled. Cole wanted to get hurt, didn't he? The door was lock so he knew that the boy was in there... so what the fuck was wrong with him? He was just asking to be beat, wasn't he? Damn it! He didn't WANT to do this... but he had to. That fucking bastard was pissing him off. Jared took a step back and kicked the door just under the lock. It cracked. He kicked it once more before it completely shattered and burst open.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you?" he yelled, seeing the boy cowering against the wall. Cole knew he was in deep shit. If he had only opened the god damned door then he wouldn't be getting hurt, would he? Jared stormed over to the kid and grabbed him by the arm roughly, yanking him back to the edge of the bed as hard as he could. "I said, what the FUCK is wrong with you, kid?" he yelled, tugging the male up and toward him, rougher. "Why the sudden fucking interest in what that bitch and Chiaki are doing, huh? I only told you not to slam my God damned doors and what do you do? You fucking IGNORE me? What have I told you about that? Huh? What do you know about what happens when fucking people IGNORE ME? Huh? Well? ANSWER ME!" Jared shook the male before pulling Cole off the bed completely and dropping him onto the floor completely. He bent down and slapped the male over the head and spoke before Cole could. "How fucking stupid are you to not understand such a simple concept, huh? Have you forgotten who the fuck I am? Huh? Answer me!"

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had flinched when Jared had screamed at him demanding to know that the fuck was wrong with him. Cole out of fear remained silent and just stared up at the male. Crap…he dug his grave that was for sure. The boy had let out a painful yelp when the man had grabbed his arm roughly and had been pulled closer to the male. Gah! What was he some rag doll! Cole had closed his eyes when the other shouted at him as he asked the boy why he was so interested in the whole Layla and Chiaki situation. "Because I want to see the baby happy!" The boy cried out as the older man went ranting about how he only told him not to slam the door. Cole remained silent once more as he was shaken before being dragged off the bed and onto the floor. The boy let out a cry before gazing up at the male just in time to receive a hard slap against the head. The boy winced in pain and had moved both hands to his head. " J-Just because I didn't say anything back doesn't mean that I didn't hear you!"

At this point Cole quickly scurried to his feet and dashed towards his closet and ran inside it before locking the door. Even know Jared could easily kick down the door and beat him shitless…, but oh well. When the male had threatened to beat him if he didn't come out the closet, Cole had shouted back. "THEN BEAT ME!" He was putting himself deeper…and DEEPER into his own grave, but he didn't care at this point. Cole had managed to climb onto a shelf where a box was sitting. The blue haired boy had opened the folds to the box and started to climb into it as Jared started to threaten him again. "_Cole, if I have to fucking break this door down to get to you, I'll beat you so fucking hard you'll WISH you were dead! OPEN IT NOW_."

"NOT UNTIL YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND!" Cole replied back stubbornly as he started to have trouble fitting in the box. DAMN IT! Why did this box have to have a whole bunch of shit in it! _" COLE. FUCKING NOW_." Cole winced at the other's shouting, and replied back once more. " I SAID NOT UNTIL YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND!" Moments later the closet door was punched and kicked opened. Before he knew what hit him the shelf was broken by Jared's bare hand. The boy had let out a painful yelp when he was grabbed by the older male before being shoved out of the closet. Cole flew across the room and had hit his back against the edge of the bed causing him to let out a painful sound. Moving a hand to his back he felt his lower lip start to tremble as tears started to form in the corner of his eyes. This was no act now…he was really scared and his body ached all over. He was going to have tons of bruises and scratches that were for sure.

_(Jared's POV)_

"I don't care about the fucking baby and I don't care if you fucking heard me or not. When I speak to you, you answer me! Is that understood? You- God damn it Cole! Don't!" Jared made a dash and dove to catch the boy as he jumped up, but the kid was faster. Before Jared knew it Cole had locked himself in the closet. From the frantic sounds and the ruffling that was going on behind the door, he could tell the male was trying to hide himself. Fuck! Cole wanted to die, didn't he? Jared hadn't let himself be spoken to like this in such a long time he forgot how angry he could really get when provoked. The gang had seen him mad, sure, but no where near this angry. If he got close to this, the person was dead by now. Hell, they were dead a long time ago. God, Cole was so fucking lucky he didn't have his gun or the kid might have been dead by now. At least Jared wouldn't have a head ache then.

"Cole! Open this fucking closet or I swear i'll beat you!" he yelled as he got to his feet. Thank God his neighbors were all old as fuck. He had to be yelling a ridiculous amount. Everyone around who could hear some what decently had to be able to hear him. He had one fucking hell of a voice, that was for sure. It was loud and it recognizable. It had been so long since he had yelled like this... ugh. His throat was going to be a fucking bitch tomorrow. Jared stormed over to the closet and kicked it with his foot. "Cole, if I have to fucking break this door down to get to you, I'll beat you so fucking hard you'll WISH you were dead! OPEN IT NOW." he shouted and gave the door another swift kick as a warning. He was warning the kid so god damned much. There had been, what, two before each time he acted? What was this damn kid THINKING? Everything in Jared's head was yelling at him to stop. To walk away. To just ignore this and let it be for tonight. How big of a deal with this? It was nothing. It meant nothing. Cole was still a kid with an attitude problem. That was all that was going on here. He didn't mean anything by it and would have ended up mumbling an apology sooner or later. But it was to late now. Jared's anger was drowning out those voices. He couldn't hear them anymore. All he knew was that he wanted Cole. He wanted that basted in his hands so he could make him pay for disrespecting him like he had dared.

"COLE. FUCKING NOW!" he screamed as the other resisted again. WHY was he fighting so GOD DAMNED HARD for this? It didn't affect him at all! DAMN HUMANS! They were so fucking emotional! He let out a growl and clenched his hand into a fist. He punched the closet door as hard as he could, easily ignoring the shooting pain in his arm, before he stepped back and kicking the door in, it easily caving and shattering at his strength. Oh yes. He was really angry now. With almost to much ease, the male reached up and snapped the wooden shelf that Cole was currently trying to hide on in half. Hah, like he was doing a good job of actually hiding. The immortal could see his pathetic foot as he tried to fit in a box that was much to small for him to fit in.

Jared swiftly bent down and yanked the boy out of the box. He shoved him out of the closet and into the room roughly, not caring where he landed or what he hit. Jared kicked part of the broken door out of his way and went over to Cole. With practiced ease he bent down and yanked the kid up with his injured hand by his arm. "Stand. Sit." he growled, not giving the kid a choice as he MADE the boy stand up from the ground then sit on the bed. "What the FUCK is your problem, Cole? I warned you to come out of the damn closet!" He yelled. The male bent down and grabbed one of the random shirts on Cole's floor and ripped it in half. He wrapped it around his heavily bleeding fist and looked to the boy again. He was now openly crying and looking very... very afraid. It was about damn time.

"You decide to make me change my mind by fucking ignoring me?" he said loudly, surprise mixing with his anger. What the FUCK was going through his head? Jared reached forward and, this time with his good hand, yanked Cole to his feet, his fist holding tightly to the collar of the boys shirt. "I don't want to hurt you, you idiot. Don't you every disobey me like this again. Do you understand me?" he growled before releasing him. Jared turned to leave when... he spoke again.

Mean? MEAN? He was being MEAN now? Cole really should just fucking keep his mouth shut. It would keep him a lot less... afraid. Jared spun around and in an instant shoved the boy back onto the bed. "MEAN? You think i'm being mean?" he yelled, using everything he had not to punch the kid in his face and show him what mean REALLY was. "I've warned you so many fucking times! Twice before I came upstairs, twice for you to open your damn door, and twice for you to open the closet! I fucking spoil you, you little bitch! This is how you repay me?" He would have continued but Cole screamed at him. Oh... he was begging to be hit talking to him like that! At the males words, he scoffed and rolled his eyes, his lips pulling into a snarl. "It's your own fault for not listening to me in the first place." he said, his snarl turning to a sneer.

Jared had just turned to leave again when... god damn it! Why did Cole have to KEEP TALKING? He turned to leave so many damn times... if the kid just kept his mouth shut and let him calm down. Let him relax for just a few hours... then he probably would have come back and talked... less.. loud. Less violent. But Cole didn't want that. No. He wanted to be hurt. He wanted to be beat and smacked around and screamed at.

"Tv? You think I want to fucking go and watch TV?" Jared moved closer and reached out to the boy. He yanked him closer to the edge where he was and this time did not release him. "This IS your fucking fault! I've warned you more than anyone. You know me well enough to understand when i'm pissed. You know me enough to understand to NOT ignore me! Anyone else I would have beat. And guess what, Cole. I HAVEN'T EVEN FUCKING REALLY HIT YOU!" he screamed, nearly right in the males face. He growled loudly as the other yelled back, crying even harder. "Well you know what? It would probably make ME feel a whole lot fucking better!" he snapped, his blue eyes flashing angrily. When WAS the last time he had been this angry? God, never. It had been... centuries since anyone brought out this side of him. He was never THIS mad. Never at a person... never at a person who lived very long. Why was Cole alive? Why hadn't he strangled his neck and called Chiaki to get rid of the body. God damn kid!

Jared felt himself glared coldly as the other replied. "I DON'T WANT TO HIT YOU BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU. CAN YOU REALLY NOT FIGURE THAT OUT?" He screamed back. Almost right away the kid looked at him and fell silent, the tears slowing noticeably but not stopping. Well, that was new he thought to himself sarcastically. Jared shoved the kid - not to roughly or mean - back onto the bed before dropping onto the ground with a frustrated growl. He felt like shit and now that he was done yelling, his throat and hand began to throb almost at the same time. He tightened the piece of cloth around his hand and curled one leg on the ground, the other pulling close to his body with his knee pointed to the roof. Jared leaned his back against the bed tiredly and let out a sigh that was, again, more of a growl than anything. Why did he feel so drained and tired now? God damn it. This fucking kid... what was it about him that brought out the worst in him? Not only the worst... but the inability to KILL HIM. Bastard!

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole felt himself flinch when the other had kicked part of the broken closet door. His room looked a mess…the shelf was broken in his closet and the box fell over with things falling out of it. Not to mention his closet door was in pieces along with his main door. What next the bathroom door? …Or his guitar! Cole felt a lump form into his throat at the thought of his guitar destroyed, but that was the least of his worries as of right now. Jared could easily kill him on the spot for acting like this, and he highly doubt the other would hesitate. The boy pulled himself out of his thoughts when Jared yanked him off the ground. At the pull, he felt himself letting out a painful cry. His body was hurting so bad and his arm was throbbing. Everything hurt on his body and Jared was not making it any easier. When Jared told him to sit, he sat on the bed.

The light blue haired boy felt tears streaming down his cheeks as the other had ripped one of his favorite shirts to wrap it around his bleeding hand. Cole wanted to whine, but he bit his tongue to the point where it was almost about to bleed. " I-I just want you to change your mind!"The young boy whined loudly as he started to wipe the fallen tears quickly. However, he pulled away from his thoughts when Jared had yanked him up roughly from the bed. OW! The boy frowned deeply at the Jared's words before he was free from Jared's grip. When Jared made his way to the door, he started to cry harder. " W-Why are you being so mean!" He cried out as he started to hiccup.

The boy felt his heart drop as Jared turned around quickly and came back over before shoving him onto the bed. The boy let out a cry as the older male yelled at him. " YES I AM CALLING YOU MEAN!" He crawled towards the corner of his bed. "Y-You kicked my door open! THREATENED me! Broke my shelf, THREW me out the closet, ripped one of my good shirts, yanked me to my feet, and shook me! ALL I DID WAS IGNORE YOU!" The boy shouted as loudly as he could as he stared up at the male. The boy rubbed his head and sniffled before making a face when Jared said it was his fault that all of this happened. "N-NO IT IS NOT!" He cried harder. "Just leave me alone...and go watch your stupid TV." He sniffled.

Cole closed his eyes shut when Jared had grabbed him once more and pulled him close to him. Cole could feel his ears start to ache by Jared yelling directly in his face. "W-WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE! Go ahead HIT me. Will that make you feel better!" The boy shouted as loud as he could as Jared replied back by saying it probably would make him feel better. "THEN DO IT. If you are the big man you say you are then fucking HIT ME." He cried out as he bit his lower lip. Moments later Jared had shouted out that he did not want to hurt him. Cole's eyes widened a little as he stared in confusion towards the male. "...You don't?" He was lost. He would have thought the other would have punched him in the face already. Jared had all the chance in the world to hit him...and he does not do it? When the other male replied saying '_no_,' he had frowned. "Then what was the point in coming up here anyways if you weren't going to hit me for ignoring you?" The boy replied.

"_Because I don't want you fucking ignoring me over this stupid shit_." Cole had sighed at the male's comment before commenting back. "All you have to do is change you mind. It is not hard. You act like I am asking you to go across the world on a bike." The boy pointed out, but it only led Jared to speak. "_I'll cross the world in nothing but a pair of roller blades if you asked me to, kid. I don't plan on changing my mind and I haven't heard one good damn reason why I should._" Cole pulled both legs to his chest as he made a face. "Well I don't know what you want to hear, but I said what I could. I just want everything to go smoothly and by you not doing what I asked just make things so difficult. For everyone. It is like you don't want to stop fighting with her dad."

At this point Jared made it quite clear that he did not want to stop fighting with her dad due to the fact he was the first immortal he had came across in the world. "Well instead of FIGHTING with him keep in contact with the guy. Maybe his gang and your gang can team up to fight other gangs?" The boy suggested.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared rubbed his head tiredly and groaned as the kid spoke. Did Cole really think that he wanted to hurt him? Of course he didn't WANT to hurt him. Fucking bastard. "No." he only muttered without moving. Cole seemed to do the one smart thing all night and didn't move from his spot. He did, however, keep speaking. Ugh. Why didn't the kid just know WHEN to shut the fuck up? He was getting that urge to stand up and hit him again, but for a moment took a deep breath and didn't move from his spot. "Because I don't want you fucking ignoring me over this stupid shit." he spat. "You know I can't fucking stand it when people ignore me and you did it anyways!" The male dropped his hand into his lap and sighed as the other spoke again. God, he was stupid, wasn't he? Was Cole really that god damned blind? Maybe he should just kill the kid now and get it the fuck over with. It would save him a head ache and dealing with this. If Cole was gone he could have just killed Chiaki and the bitches baby without a second thought. But this kid... ugh!

"I'd cross the world in nothing but a pair of roller blades if you asked me to, kid. I don't plan on changing my mind and I haven't heard one good damn reason why I should." he snapped as the male asked him again. He still didn't understand WHY HE CARED. This fucking baby... God, Chiaki and Layla were so damn spineless! They couldn't come talk to him alone so they sent Cole. Because of them Cole got his ass kicked. He was going to be in a shit ton of pain tomorrow, that was for sure. He was going to be bruised like a bitch. Not to mention cut up pretty bad. Those fuckers probably wouldn't even feel bad about it. Cole was stupid for doing this. "I'm not changing my fucking mind and i'm not going to stop fucking fighting! The fact it's him as nothing to fucking do with it!" he repeated, feeling his anger rise once more. "He was the first immortal I came across who was fucking with humans. He's the only one that I'VE found and believe me, i've looked." he growled. His headache was coming back and every single word Cole was saying was starting to bring his anger back. He felt the urge to stand again and slap him. God, what the fuck was wrong with this kid?

"You know what? What the fuck ever." The male stood up and ran his hands through his hair, his back to the kid. "I don't want to talk about this with you anymore. I'm not going to go talk to her father about this, but i'll make it easier on those two and stop the gang fighting for now. It's not MY fucking job to tell him that Layla is pregnant. I didn't get her pregnant so i'm not telling him. They can tell him THEN i'll talk to him about it. That's the best i'm doing." Without another word to the kid or waiting for a reply the male stepped over the debris of the broken door and made his way down to the hall way and into his room. Without a word he went into his room and slammed the door shut as hard as he could, the frame shaking and nearly shattering.

Jared let out a frustrated sound and walked over to his bed. Fuck his life. He didn't feel like bandaging his hand so merely hung his arm over the side of the bed and stared at the ceiling as the blood dripped off of the torn cloth and down onto the floor, a small puddle already forming. God, he needed to get up bandage that but he didn't feel like doing shit. His throat was killing him, his hand ached, and he fell like shit. He NEVER felt like shit after screaming at someone and hurting them. Why did he feel bad for hurting Cole? It was all Cole's fault anyways! Fucking bitch! He was the one who ignored him after he knew not to. Cole was the one to lock him out then lock himself in the closet. Cole was the bitch who just kept fucking talking! God damn it! He had such a fucking headache now! Jared growled and let his eyes close. What a damn headache.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had glanced up at the male when he stood up with his back faced to him. The male frowned when the other said he did not want to talk to him about this situation anymore. However, on the plus side…Jared did change his mind a little. Well, this was better than the previous deal. The boy watched as the browned haired male stepped out of his room and left. Ugh…his room looked like shit, but was even worse, he felt like shit. Cole took this time to glance at his bruised arms and the scratches. Ugh, he looked fucked up. Cole got off the bed as he wiped away the tears that stained his cheeks. Cole happened to glance down at the floor when he noticed blood stains on it. It was probably from Jared's hand. Cole frowned, but made his way into the bathroom. The male peered into the mirror and pulled his shirt down a little to see the small bruises on his neck from where the collar of his shirt had rubbed against painfully when Jared grabbed him. Removing his shirt, he turned his back against the mirror and peered over his shoulder. FUCK! His back had a big purple…grayish bruise on it from when he hit the bed.

Pulling his shirt back on, he grabbed a washcloth, wetted it, and stepped out the bathroom to clean the bloodstains on the floor. Once he was finished with that, he tossed the dirtied cloth into the hamper before sitting on his bed. The boy reached for his pack of cigarettes and lit one up with his fancy lighter. Later on that night, Cole had smoked five cigarettes in a row before falling to sleep. Normally he was never much of a chain smoker, but when Cole felt stressed, or uneasy, he smoked a lot…

_**End of chapter~ ;D**_


	20. Worried Mattie

_TWENTIETH CHAPTER! :'O_

_**Oh shit~ Chapter twenty! DANCE PEOPLE!**_

**(~Continuing where I left off~)**

**__****(The next day at school)**

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had just pulled into the school's parking lot before parking the truck. He had arrived at school extremely late due to the fact he didn't set his alarm, and Jared didn't wake him up. Jared was nowhere to be found in the house, and his car wasn't there either. Ugh, he missed pretty much half of his classes by oversleeping. He did not even know why he even came. There were only two classes left, but whatever. He was already here, so he might as well attend school. The bruises and marks were still very visible from last night, and as much as he wanted to hide the marks, it was fucking HOT outside. Ugh, if only it was winter. The boy was wearing a pair of black jeans, black and white converse shoes and a red shirt with an angry smiley face on it. His hair was spiked up as well. People probably will not think much of the marks, but there is one person that would, which was Mattie.

Sighing, he got out of his truck and locked the door before heading into the school building. Cole went to the main office to grab a late pass. The secretary gave him a look, but he ignored it and simply grabbed the pass. Cole made his way down the hallway towards the art room. The male pushed the door open, walked over to the teacher, and gave him the note. The male gave him a confused look, but said nothing. None of the students really looked his way since they were working. Cole walked around the room and went into another room where he and Mattie worked alone. Once inside, he noticed Mattie sitting in the chair. "Hey." Cole said with a small smile before sitting on the opposite side of the table from Mattie. The boy had looked up at him happily, but the expression seemed to fade quickly. Yep, he noticed the marks. Cole sighed a little when Mattie asked what happened. "Jared." Cole said as he stared at the boy.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu sighed happily and looked down at his sketch book. He was drawing... Liam for once. Usually he drew random people he knew (or didn't know), his mother, animals or abstract things. He had never drawn Liam before... and now he was trying it. And it was looking great! He sighed happily to himself and sketched out a few more lines, only stopping and looking up as the door opened. "Cole!" he said cheerfully and looked back down his drawing as the boy came in and settled himself. Where had he been all day? Matthieu had been...he had actually been a bit lonely today. He had grown so used to Cole being around him that... he was unhappy when the boy wasn't with him at school. He could have used his friend near by when the idiots in hs French class started to make fun of the accent he had. It wasn't his fault he was French Canadian! The boy hummed lightly and looked up again as Cole said hey as the boy sat. He opened his mouth to say something when his happy expression faded. Why was Cole so bruised? "What happened?" He asked, standing up quickly, his chair nearly falling. He rushed to his friends side and frowned as Cole said one word.

Jared. JARED had done this? No... no! Matthieu didn't want to believe it! Jared had an anger problem... sure. But this? No! Jared loved Cole, didn't he? Why did he do this to someone that he said he loved? You didn't hurt the person you loved! You just... you didn't. It was wrong! "Why?" he whispered, his fingers touching Cole's face before moving his collar to see one of the bruises better. He didn't want to see his friend hurt like this... it brought back so many unpleasant memories. This was so much worse than even that though. Because it wasn't HIM who was being hurt. It was his friend. His best friend. And he couldn't do a damn thing bout it to help him! Matthieu would have preferred that it was him being hurt, not Cole. He touched the bruise gently and looked at the boy as he spoke again.

This had all happened because he went to talk to him about Chiaki and Layla's baby? What a stupid reason! That was not a reason for Jared to hurt Cole like this! The male frowned and shook his head, pulling his hand back gently. "That's no reason for him to have treated you like this." he said, his voice low and sad. He knew that what Cole needed now was just reassurance. Saying that Jared didn't mean it and it wouldn't happen again. That it had been a mistake... but he didn't want to like to Cole. Matthieu, from his past, knew that those were probably all untrue. He didn't know and he didn't want to judge it... but he cared more about his friend than some stupid idea. "Is there... anything I can do?

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole watched as Mattie came over looking very worried before touching his cheek. The boy watched as he took a peek at the bruise near his neck before sighing. " We got into a fight. I wanted him to change his mind about the whole Layla and Chiaki situation, and he refused. So, I got a little angry and ignored him. So, he got pissed threw me around my room, broke a lot of shit and all of that stuff." The light haired boy said before wincing a little when Mattie had touched the bruise. Ow! That hurt! Ugh! The boy pulled away from Mattie lightly before sighing when the other had spoken. "

I know, but there isn't really much I can do about all of this. He is a lot stronger than me." The boy pointed out as he rested an arm onto the table.

The male had blinked when Mattie asked if there was anything he can do. He wish he could say yes to that question, but he couldn't. There wasn't much anyone can do about this situation other than him trying not to piss Jared off, and Jared learning how to control his temper. "Sorry, but I don't think there is anything you can do." The boy said to the other with a weak smile on his face. When the other hugged him and asked if he was sure, Cole had nodded. "I'm sure, and don't worry about me, I'll be fine. It isn't like this happens everyday…" Cole assured the boy before patting his head.

Even if this kind of beating happened everyday it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Jared was a lot stronger, and if he decided to ever leave Jared, he would be killed. Cole frowned at the thought before moving a hand to rub his head. "God, I have such a headache…" The boy whined a little.

_(Mattie's POV)_

Stronger than him? That was no reason to just sit back and take a beating! Jared was stronger... but Cole... there was no reason Cole should have to deal with that. He was... Mattie felt so useless. The male felt his face fall and looked at the boy as he spoke. "I know." he said softly as the other said there was nothing he could do. But... why! He hated feeling this useless.. and there WAS nothing that he could do. He didn't know if Jared would hit him, but if he wouldn't then it would be taken out on Liam. He didn't want Liam hurt... but he didn't want Cole hurt. He hated this! The male moved forward and wrapped his arms around the males shoulder softly. "Are you sure?" he asked as he hugged the male, not letting him go until he spoke again."I can't help but worry... and even if this doesn't happen every day once is enough to make me worry."

Matthieu pulled away from the boy and frowned as he said his head hurt. "I'm sorry, Cole." he said as the other complained that his head hurt.

The rest of the class period had been Matthieu smiled and joking around with Cole. It took him a while to get Cole to be happy, but after hugging on him and poking him and bothering him soon he had Cole laughing and back to his old self. Maybe not EXACTLY like his old self... but he was being happy and smiling. With promises to call him later that night the male made his way out of the building and toward where Liam was waiting. "We need to go to the apartment first." he said without waiting for a hello from Liam. "I need to talk to you about something important." Matthieu dropped his bag near his feet and pulled on his seat belt, shaking his head as the other asked what was going on and if everything was okay. "I'll tell you at the apartment." he said and shook his head again to tell him he was serious. He needed to help Cole... he didn't know WHAT Liam could do... but there had to be something!

The ride to the apartment was silent. It was only because Liam was worrying and Matthieu was trying to plan out slowly what he was going to say to Liam about Cole. There had to be something he could do... something Liam could do. Once they pulled up to the apartment the male stood up and grabbed his bag and made his way up to the apartment. Then after Liam into the apartment. Almost right away Matthieu dropped his bag and started to talk. All of the thinking and careful planning he had done on the ride over disappeared as he blurted out what was happening and what he was worried about. "We have to do something, Liam! He's hurting Cole! I need to help him, Liam! I feel so useless and worthless that my best friend is being hurt and there's nothing I can do to help him! Please, please! We have to try and help him and we need to-" Matthieu squeaked and fell silent as the other placed a hand over his mouth and told him to slow down.

He frowned and nodded to show the other he was silent and kept the same frown on his lips as the other spoke and ask what happened. "Jared hit Cole. No, Jared didn't HIT Cole. Liam, he beat him! Cole came to school to day covered in bruises and scratches! He looked... he looked awful, Liam." Matthieu frowned and looked down. "We have to do something. I don't want to see him coming to school like that again." he said, his voice soft. "He's my best friend... we have to do something."

_(Liam's POV)_

Liam moved a hand into his black haired as he waited for school to end while he was parked in the parking lot. Lately things have been a little hectic at the base. Layla was pregnant and Chiaki wanted Jared and her father to stop the war for the new baby coming along. Sheesh…Chiaki a father? That was going to be something. Liam had adjusted his review mirror as he heard voices coming outside the car. Glancing to the side he noticed kids starting to pour out of the school. Moments later he spotted Mattie as the small boy came towards his car. When the boy stepped inside and sat down, he started to speak, but Mattie interrupted him. Head straight to the apartment? He had something important to tell him? What the hell was going on? Liam frowned before speaking. "What is going on? Are you ok?" Liam asked worriedly, but Mattie told him he would tell him everything when they get to the apartment.

Liam remained silent on the way to his apartment as he started to worry. What the hell was going on? Did someone pick on him? Ugh what the hell happened? Once they arrived at the curb, he had parked the car before turning it off. Liam stepped out of it before locking the doors before heading up the stairs. Liam unlocked his door before entering the apartment. Liam was about to say something to Mattie, but the other went on a major rant. Liam couldn't put together what the hell he was talking about. All he could make out was someone hurting Cole, and stuff. Liam moved a hand to Mattie's lips to shush him up before raising a brow. "Slow down, I can't really make out what you are talking about. So, explain to me slowly about what happened." Liam told the boy before moving his hand away from Mattie's mouth.

Liam felt himself sighing heavily when the blond haired boy told him that Jared had beaten Cole. What did Cole do to piss the other off? Ugh. Liam moved a hand to Mattie's head before ruffling his hair. "Look, there is nothing we can do. If I talk to Jared, he would beat me for poking in his personal life. " The man said with a small frown. "Did Cole tell you why he got beaten?" When the small boy told him it was because of the Chiaki and Layla situation, he sighed. Liam was going to say something, but Mattie added on that Cole had ignored Jared. Yep that explains the beating. He didn't approve of what Jared did, but Cole should know by now NOT to ignore Jared. "Look, I don't agree with what Jared did, but when he is ignored he goes ballistic. One time I ignored him when I first joined and I got the shit beaten out of me as well. The only thing I can tell you is just to be there for Cole. "

_(Mattie's POV)_

Matthieu swallowed the lump in his throat and stared at Liam as he spoke. No! That wasn't what he wanted to hear! "But Liam!" He closed his mouth and pouted as the other asked what happened. "Chiaki and Layla asked Cole to talk to Jared about the baby situation... so he did. Jared refused to do anything and Cole got mad... and ignored him." Matthieu didn't know much of anything about Jared and the gang, but he did know, and was warned by various people, to NEVER ignore Jared. Cole had apparently done it more than once that night... but before he could defend his friend, Liam was speaking again. "I don't care if being ignored bothers him! It's no reason to hurt Cole!" he said, feeling his eyes water as he neared tears. "I can't just stand around and do nothing, Liam! I... I just can't! If you won't talk to Jared, then I will!" He knew THAT wasn't going to happen. Liam wouldn't risk him mentioning it and getting hurt. Matthieu knew that before Liam would say it.

The boy reached up and used his sleeve to rub his eyes, sniffling and trying to push any tears away, forcing them not to fall. "Just being there for him doesn't feel like it's enough." he said, his head lowering, his arm still pushed against his eyes, his glasses pushed up and away. Although... there were times when he wished so much that he just had a friend. ONE friend that was there for him. Maybe... maybe that was good enough for Cole? No! No! How could he think like that? It WASN'T good enough. Cole needed more than a friend, he needed to be living with someone who wouldn't hurt him. Someone who... who treated him better! Cole didn't deserve it. "I-I'm going to go and call Cole and see if he wants to hang out." he muttered suddenly and pulled away from Liam and made his way into the other room. Oh, how he wished that he had been the one who had been hurt instead of Cole.

_(Liam's POV)_

" I know, but there isn't anything we can do about it Mattie." Liam told the boy once again as the he noticed the boy starting to cry. Liam didn't like seeing Mattie this upset, but there really wasn't anything anyone can do. If this abuse is going to stop, then Jared has to be the one to allow it to stop. Liam pulled away from his thoughts when the boy had said if he wouldn't talk to Jared, then he would. Oh hell no. He was NOT going to let Mattie talk to Jared. Liam knew Jared had some sort of soft spot for the kid, but he was not going to risk it. "No. You will not go talk to Jared about this. If you mentioned something like this to him, then you could get hurt. Hell, even if you managed not to get hit, Jared could go back home and beat Cole again for telling you." Liam pointed out as Mattie started to wipe his eyes with his sleeve.

"I know…, I know." Liam sighed heavily as he stroked the boy's hair softly. Liam pulled a hand back as Mattie said he was going to call Cole to see if they can hang out. He felt bad for the two boys he really did. The black haired male plopped onto his couch as he tossed his keys on the coffee table. Liam was about to turn on the TV when his cell phone started to ring. Eh? Who was calling him? Jared removed his cell phone from his jean pocket. It was Jared. Liam flipped the phone open before setting the speaker to his ear. "Yeah?" Liam asked as he pushed behind the convo he just had with Mattie.

The black haired male raised a brow when his boss told him that he was going to be away for a few days and to keep an eye on things. "Alright will-the bastard hung up on me." Liam grunted as he shut his phone before setting it in his pocket. So, he has a fight with Cole and is going to leave for a while? Either it was because of that, or he had other gang business to attend to. Somehow, he had a feeling it was more because of Cole.

**(~A month later~)**

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared grunted and let out a yawn before he pulled his car into the drive way of his home. He had been gone... almost a month? Yep. Tuesday would be a month since he left. He had left late the night he had beat the shit out of Cole. He just... he needed to get away. Talk to some people. Get some advice from some people he trusted. That meant a trip to Germany. He left that day, arrived in Germany that night, and had the time of his fucking life the entire time. God, it had been amazing. He had even managed to find a beer brand that got HIM drunk. It took two for a buzz and four for complete and utter drunkness. It was fucking fantastic. The feeling of being drunk and waking up in the morning with a headache and not remembered what the fuck happened? It was amazing. He'd brought four cases of the illegal German branded beer and two cases of some amazing Spanish beer that his friend had suggested. It was, apparently, stronger than the German stuff. God he was happy. All the cases were in a large crate in the back of his car. It was expensive shit... and also very.. very illegal. He had to make some connections with the American black market to get it through but it worked out fine thanks to his German friends and their... persuasion.

The male shut his car off and unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out into the cold night air. He looked forward at his house and grunted. Cole was home. He was hoping the bastard was with Matthieu doing something so he wouldn't have to deal with him for a while. Great. He wasn't looking forward to this. Jared muttered something under his breath before popping his trunk after shutting the door. He locked the car, shoved his keys into his pocket and went around to the trunk before lifting the crate out. FUCK! It was heavy! It had been so much less so when his friend had helped him! Two immortals were better than one after all. He muttered something and set it down before closing the trunk then picking it up again. He made his way around the cars and up the steps. He only set the crate down to open the door - not locked, of course - before picked it up and headed inside. He said nothing but made sure to shuffle loudly and close the door loudly. He really needed to teach the kid how to lock a god damned door. The television was on so Cole was in there. He didn't want there to be TO much surprise he was home. No need for the kid to run off. He grunted to himself before making his way through the dining room and past the living room, only grunting in acknowledgment to the surprised boy on the couch, before he made his way into the kitchen. He groaned and set the crate onto the floor near the fridge with the sound of glass clanging against each other loudly. "Fucking bitch." he groaned, massaging his left shoulder with his right hand. He stood up and kicked the crate open - it had been nailed shut so the steel toed German boots he had got from his friend worked very well in opening it - before kneeling down and started to pull the cases out one by one.

He had got two of the six packs out when he heard the kid come in. Why was Cole coming INTO the kitchen? Jared would have figured that he would have ran upstairs hiding in his room cowering in fear. Cole hated him now, didn't he? Why the FUCK was he still here? Was there even an attempt to escape? Jared had been expecting that and even thought about letting the kid run if he was gone when he had come home. To find the kid AT the house and coming in to talk to him surprised the fuck out of him. He grunted lightly and pulled out the other cases as Cole asked what he had. "German and Spanish beer." he replied shortly. What an... awkward atmosphere... ugh. He hated this. He wasn't used to someone being alive after he yelled at them. He always, ALWAYS, killed them after something like that. Why the fuck was Cole still alive? He hated what this kid was doing to him. He just got the last case out when the boy commented that he thought he stopped drinking. "I did." he said with a shrug, not offering anything else on the subject. Jared opened the fridge and, with much more ease, shoved the six cases in to the fridge where his beer was usually kept. He always bought in bulk so there was a separate fridge for his alcohol and things that was usually always empty... or full. Never in between. Once they were all in and upright, he opened one of the cases of German beer and grabbed one. Jared shoved some hair from his face before standing finally, his back popping loudly in protest. He groaned at the sound, and feeling of it, before he shoved the large wooden crate under the table to be dealt with later and turned and headed into the living room and past Cole.

Well, the television was off. He could use the silence anyways. Maybe Cole hadn't spent a month wasting away his electricity and water. Seeing the television being off probably meant that Cole had been turning off everything as he left the room. Good. Jared dropped onto the couch and let out a groan once more. God, it felt awesome to be home. Maybe not under THESE circumstances, but it was nice to be in his own house. Fuck! It would be amazing to sleep in his bed. Not on the floor... or roof... or some random dudes couch. He seriously couldn't count or remember how many times he had woke up in some strangers house. Being in Germany had been such a fucking great time. He didn't remember half of it but it had been amazing. Jared opened his beer with ease and then made the mistake of swigging the first drink. Almost right away he leaned forward and began to cough. "F-fuck!" he said covering his mouth as he set the beer down onto the table loudly. He finished coughing and shook his head swiftly back and forth. He was very much awake now. "Good shit." he muttered and ran his hands through his hair. The male grabbed his beer and leaned back against the couch once more... even more surprised to see Cole come in. What the fuck was with this kid? He made no motion to show he noticed the kid and took another drink, this one MUCH MUCH smaller than the other.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole was sitting on the couch Indian style with the remote in his hands as he started to flip through the television stations. Nothing was on! UGH! Cole turned on the guide channel to see what was coming on and on channel thirty-two South Park was coming on soon. Thank god! Cole leaned back against the couch, but winced due to the large bruise that remained on his back. Cole moved his back away from the couch before sighing aloud. It had been about a month since Jared magically disappeared. His doors were still…messed up, and every night he had to order out. Cole could not cook and even though they had some junk food around that never filled him up. Cole had ordered pizza…Chinese, subs…almost about everything. Not in one night, but he sure did have a lot of take out menus now. Cole half thought that Jared left for good and was not coming back. However, Liam told him that he was just going to be away for a bit. Bah. He thought Jared would be gone a couple of days…not a whole month!

It was so lonely being in this big house all by himself with no one to talk to. It was very different from when Jared was out on a mission since he knew he would be back eventually that night. Half of the time, he spent the day with Mattie for as long as he could before heading home. At the base, he had informed Layla and Chiaki about the new deal and about how they owed him BIG time. Other than that, he did not go to the base unless it was for some mission, or if Mattie begged him to come. The male snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open. His blue eyes shot over to the side when he saw Jared entering the house with a big crate with a surprised look on his face. Cole watched as the male walked by him and made his way into the kitchen.

He was actually home! What was in the crate though? It looked extremely heavy. Cole turned the TV off before hopping off the couch before making his way into the kitchen. "What is that? " Cole asked curiously, but only made a face when the other told him what he had. He had thought Jared had stopped drinking. Did the whole fight drive…Jared to drink again? Cole frowned before speaking. "I thought you had quit…" Cole pointed out and had raised a brow when Jared said he did quit. Then why did he have beer with him? Cole knew he was not going to drink it. He was a smoker, not a drinker. Cole pulled away from his thoughts as Jared started to put the cases in the fridge before walking by him and out the kitchen.

Cole walked to the fridge to grab him a grape soda before heading out of the kitchen and into the living room just in time to hear the other choke on the beer. Cole held down a laugh before sitting next to the man on the couch. Awkward silence filled the room and it caused him to squirm a little uncomfortably. The boy opened his soda and took a sip out of it before turning on the TV. When he did, South Park came on. The boy smiled before looking at Jared. "So…, where did you go?" Cole asked the other as looked up at the man. Bah awkward.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared sat there enjoying the silence and allowed him to get lost in his own thoughts as the kid next to him did the same. He still didn't understand why the fuck Cole was there. Sure, he had made it pretty damn clear to the boy that if he ran he'd be found and killed... but never before had he met someone who didn't TRY to escape. The longest he had left someone who knew his secret alone was two weeks. In that period of time the girl HAD run off. Jared had easily found her and dealt with her... but that wasn't the point. He had trusted her more than anything and SHE had run. Jared barely let himself put any trust in Cole and the boy was STILL there. He had to have some kind of head damage to not try to escape after the beating he had gotten. This kid had some serious issues. Wasn't abuse bad to humans or something? Didn't they frown on it? Jared was sure that they did but there was Cole. Putting up with it and sitting right next to him.

The male pulled from his thoughts at the television was turned on and South Park was abusing his ears. What a stupid fucking show. Even if he hated it... it was amusing. Jared took a small sip from his beer and merely grunted in acknowledgment to the question. He swallowed the sweet liquid and was pleased to feel the buzz of the drink already taking affect on his body. "Germany." he replied shortly. Usually he would tell someone asking that question to fuck off but he didn't feel like arguing with Cole at the moment. "I met up with a few friends back there. Just as a stress reliever and to catch up with a few people." Here he fell silent again. He supposed that Cole had every right to be curious. Jared had left without a word to anyone. Calling Liam and telling him to keep an eye on everything hardly counted since the idiot didn't know anything. He hadn't told him for how long, where he was going, or what he was doing. Just to keep an eye on things. After that Jared turned off his phone, threw it into his bag and forgot about it. Fuck, it was still off in his bag in the car. Or was his bag in Germany...? Fuck!

He muttered something under his breath at the realization of his lost phone and took another small drink from the bottle. They had fallen into an awkward silence again... great. This was going to be a great time at home, wasn't it? Really, he just wanted to get drunk off his ass and break shit... but he had to remember where he was. This was HIS house not some random persons in Germany's. He had broken so much shit and caused so much damage... it was great. Here he couldn't do that. This was his home. His house. He wasn't going to break shit. Jared pulled from his thoughts and took another drink from his beer, pretending to pay attention to South Park. He had no damn idea what was going on. He vaguely remembered seeing an episode of this while in Germany. Not that he could really remember much of the trip other than beer and wurst. Jared used his free hand to run his hands through his hair before kicking up his steel toed boots onto the table, gentler than usual. If he did it to hard then the table would have probably shattered, hah! Images of the trip flashed slightly through his mind. Had he stepped on someones hand with these boots on? Whoops...

Realizing the seriously awkward silence, the male cleared his throat. He felt the urge to say SOMETHING. Anything. And, of course, the only idea he had was in his hand. His beer. "The beer was a suggestion from my friend back in Germany." he said, motioning to the pretty much still full bottle in his hand. He wasn't explaining himself about the beer... no! He was just making... conversation. Yeah. That was it. Just light conversation. "He had me try some then sent me home with a few cases." he muttered as Cole spoke and asked it it was good. "Eh, the taste is unique. Kind of fruity, almost, but strong as fuck. Way stronger than any shitty American beer." he commented with a scoff. Jared only turned his eyes from the television as the other spoke again, this time ranting lightly and commenting about how he wouldn't know the difference since he had never drank before. "Trust me, kid. This wouldn't be the thing to start you on. One sip of this thing is a full on American beer. Not the kind you start drinking on. How those fucking Germans do it, i'll never figure out." Jared shook his head lightly and looked back to the television, taking another small drink from his beer. Again... there set in the awkward silence.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had blinked at Jared when the male had told him he went to Germany. Jared left to go to GERMANY! Could he even speak the language! Cole always wanted to go out of the country, but never got a chance to leave. Cole snapped out of his thoughts when Jared told him he had gone to Germany to catch up with old friends. "Ohh." Cole said as he glanced down at his grape soda as silence started to form around them once more. Baah, why did it have to be so awkward between them? Then again…Jared did leave for a month after the fight. Cole's eyes glanced up at the television screen as it showed Cartmen calling Kyle a stupid Jew. Was Kenny even in this one? Or even Butters? The male whined silently before blinking when he heard Jared clearing his throat.

Cole glanced up at the male when Jared told him that one of his friends wanted him to try the beer in Germany and had sent him home with some. Ahh, that made a lot more sense now. " Is it any good?" The boy asked curiously as the male described that it was kind of fruity, but a lot stronger than American beer. "I wouldn't know the difference since I never drank before in my life." Cole had opportunities to try a beer, or two…, but he always declined. Cole didn't know what kind of drinker he would be. A loopy one…an angry one, or just pass out on the spot. Heh, he didn't want to take the chance in finding out. The boy moved the soda to his lips as he took a sip.

When Jared told him that this kind of beer was definitely not the kind of beer you want to start out with. "Aren't the Irish the same way?" Cole asked curiously before setting his soda down onto the coffee table. Cole glanced around the room when the awkward silence came crawling back and biting them in the ass. It was going well…then started to get quiet again. Fidgeting, he looked back up at Jared. "So do you know how to speak German?" The boy asked as he moved a hand into his hair. He could only speak Japanese and English, Heh.

_(Jared's POV)_

Jared openly winced as the male compared German beer to Irish beer. That was something he would slap someone for, but Cole didn't know the different. Being some what of a big beer drinker, Jared felt insulted. "Dunno, but Irish beer tastes like fucking water." he said, pushing away the unpleasant memories of his time in Ireland. Those had not been good times... heh. It was true the beer was strong, but god it tasted like shit. The taste was just... fucking awful. The fucking leprechauns should just fucking stick to growing potatoes and beating their short wives. Jared pulled from his memories and turned his eyes to look at Cole as he spoke. Well, that was a fucking stupid question. It was pretty obvious if he spent a month in the country he knew the damn language. There wasn't a lot that Jared believed strongly in, but one thing that he DID have a strong belief in was that if you went to another country, you got off your fat ass and learned the damn language. You were to educate yourself with the politics, culture, and the language before you even set foot there. Cole, however, didn't know that Jared believed that with such a passion, so he said nothing on the matter.

"Ja." he said, smirking in irony at the fact he had answered the question in Germany. "I was actually born in Germany, so it's my native language." he said with a shrug before he took another drink from his beer. That was a stupid fact for Cole to know, but knowing Cole... he would be happy to know something like that. No one else knew that he was originally from Germany... so that was just one more thing Cole knew that no one else did. The male pulled from his thought and turned his head to give Cole a strange look at he seemed to freak out. Why was it so hard to believe that he was German? "Yeah... why the hell do you look so surprised? Where did you THINK I was from?" he asked, his blue eyes staying focused on him. He was interested in where the kid THOUGHT he was from... It sure as fuck wasn't England. Bloody wankers! He smirked at the irony of his thoughts before focusing on the uncomfortable Cole who shifted and admitted he didn't have any ideas. "Exactly." he said and turned his head back to the television. God. It was a fucking episode about Cartmen.

"I saw an episode of this while I was in Germany." he said randomly as he took another drink from the beer, quite enjoying the pleasant buzz. He just figured it might be good for the kid to get away from the topic of where Jared was from. "Cartmen sounded like more of a bitch than he already does, if you could believe it."

_(Cole's POV)_

" It does?" Cole asked the man as he had given Jared a look. What was the point of making beer if it tasted like water? The boy pulled away from his thoughts when the male said some weird word before telling him her was actually born in Germany. SERIOUSLY? Jared was born there? Holy shit. "You were actually born there? Holy crap!" The boy said as his eyes widened. When Jared had given him a strange look before speaking, Cole started to fidget in his seat. "I don't know… " Cole replied back honestly. He hadn't any clue where he would have thought Jared was from due to the fact he never thought about it. He wondered if anyone else knew about him being born in Germany? Hmm, probably not.

Cole pulled out of his thoughts when Jared told him he saw an episode of South Park in Germany. "Did the voices sound weird?" Cole asked as Jared pointed out that Cartmen sounded more like a bitch then he already was. Cole laughed loudly before reaching for his soda. "Is that even possible? Sheesh this episode on right now is all about Cartmen! No Kenny in sight! Ya know…I always wondered what he looked like without the hood. I know he has blonde hair, but that is about it." The male said with a shake of his head before taking a drink from his soda. When Jared told him to go get his laptop to look for a picture, he had blinked.

The boy nodded before setting the soda back onto the coffee table and heading upstairs. The light blue haired male made his way down the hallway and into Jared's room. He grabbed the laptop and made his way downstairs and back onto the couch. Cole flipped open the screen before pressing the button to turn it on. He remained silent as he waited to get online and on photobucket. Once he did, he typed in Kenny from South Park. Seconds later he saw a picture, and clicked on it. Whoa! Kenny looked kind of cute without the hood. Well, by the way the artist drew it that was. "Look Jared! Isn't he cute? " He laughed.

_(Jared's POV)_

"I fucking hate Cartmen." he said with a scoff as the other spoke and started to whine about how the episode was all about Cartmen. It was and God it was starting to annoy him. The fat ass never shut up. When Cole mentioned Kenny without his hood the male only rolled his eyes. Cole didn't watch a lot of South Park if he had never seen Kenny without his hoody. "If you care enough then go upstairs and get my laptop. You can look it up." he said then watched as the kid got up and went upstairs to fetch the laptop. Even though they were talking like everything was okay... Jared still couldn't shake that awkward uncomfortable feeling he was getting. Cole seemed fine and there weren't an visible markings on him even though he was wearing a short sleeved shirt..., but it was still very.. odd. He didn't like it. He didn't even like the fact it worried him that there might still be markings from the night on him. Jared sighed and leaned his head back against the couch and took another drink, completely ignoring the television now. Cole was such a weird kid... such a weird kid indeed. If he were that boy... he would have ran off by now. Instead Cole was going upstairs into his room and grabbing his laptop to look up pictures of a cartoon. Great. He had found himself a lunatic, that was for sure. But... Jared didn't mind in the slightest.

Jared only pulled from his thoughts as he heard the kid coming back downstairs with his laptop tight in his grip. Tight being the key word. The LAST thing Cole wanted to do now that Jared was home was piss him off and drop his laptop. The fact he was being noticeably careful with it was somewhat amusing to the immortal. Almost cute... no. It was cute. The male shook his head and sighed to himself. The last thing Cole wanted was Jared on him calling him cute and kissing him. The boy wasn't showing it or anything, but he knew that kid was pissed and most likely hated him. He just didn't leave because... well, apparently he wanted to live that badly. Maybe... Jared should apologize? The male's thoughts were cut short at the sound of Cole's voice. It took a second for his mind to register what the boy said, and when it did he only grunted and peered over at the screen.

"Kid... you do know that you're calling a cartoon drawing cute, right?" he asked with a raised eye brow. He forced himself NOT to smile as the other whined and pouted and said he was right, but it was cute nonetheless. Jared only rolled his eyes and only shrugged before he pulled away, taking another drink from his beer. Cole showing him pictures lasted a little while and managed to drive the awkward silence away for a bit. He ended up squealing over how cute Kenny and Butters were then whining about how one artist made Cartmen look cute. Jared played along for a while and looked at the laptop screen when instructed to and continued to comment shortly on them when it seemed appropriate. Cole seemed...pleased but the squealing was getting a bit annoying. "Kid, maybe you should close the laptop before you get a hard on, eh?" he asked as the boy started to rant about how adorable Kenny looked in one particular picture. He laughed openly as the male flushed but listened and turned the laptop off anyways, staying silent from embarrassment. Well, that was amusing. Haha, no. It was way more than just amusing. Jared smirked and, to his disappointment, finished off the last of his beer. He knew even a few more sips of a second beer would have him drunk, so he stopped and decided to just enjoy the buzzed feeling he was getting. Jared leaned forward and set the empty beer bottle onto the table before pulling his feet off. In seconds the steel toed boots were discarded to the side of the couch and his now socked feet were back onto the table. As awesome as the boots were, it felt awesome to get them off and relax.

And now... the awkward silence was back.

_(Cole's POV)_

Cole had looked up from the laptop when Jared had spoken to him. "Soo? It is still cute!" The boy whined as he clicked on another picture. Oh! This one had Butters in it! Haha. "Look at Butters!" The boy pointed out with excitement. Cole had exited out of that picture and went to click on another one which had Cartmen in it. Whoa! They even made it possible for the fat ass to look cute! AND! He wasn't fat in this picture! "Jared you have to look at this! They made the impossible possible! Cartmen can look cute! " The boy had laughed which had earned Jared to only roll his eyes, but it was still amusing. The light blue haired boy clicked on another picture which made Kenny look absolutely adorable. "Oh! Oh! Look at Ken-H-HEY! " The boy cried out when Jared told him to shut the laptop before he got a hard on.

The boy felt his cheeks turn a deep red, but had exit out the window before turning off the laptop and shutting the screen as he set the laptop carefully on the coffee table. He just thought the pictures were pretty cool that was all. The boy glanced at the television screen as silence started to build around them again. Gah! Why does this keep happening? It was like after a small talk was done the silence crept back onto them! He didn't like it one bit! Cole had a serious thinking face on as he tried to find something to bring up and talk about. Oh…right the doors. Cole looked at Jared before speaking. "Both of the doors are still broken. I don't know how to fix them…, so I just kept them the same way, same with the shelf." Cole told the other with a nod.

The boy sucked at fixing things and he didn't even know where to buy a new door anyways let alone how to put it together. Hopefully Jared wouldn't be too mad and fix it for him. The boy sighed mentally as he leaned back against the couch only to wince again because of the bruise. Ugh this bruise seriously needed to go away! All of his other wounds went away, but this bruise was still lingering. He hated since he liked to sleep on his back sometimes, but the bruise made it nearly impossible to do without wincing.

_**(End~~ I would have added more but you'll have to wait for the next chapter. ;D)**_


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